The Colorado Buffaloes (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) are set to host the 18th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) at Folsom Field, aiming to extend their winning streak to four games.
The Buffs enters the game after a dominant performance over UCF, where they secured a 48-21 victory before their bye week. In that matchup, Colorado was a 14-point underdog but exceeded expectations with their best performance of the season. Travis Hunter, widely considered one of the best players in college football, delivered a stellar performance, catching nine passes for 89 yards and contributing on both sides of the ball with an interception. Vanderbilt transfer Will Shepard also had a breakout game, recording four receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, Colorado was relentless, racking up five sacks and forcing a crucial turnover. Hunter’s interception showcased his versatility, and his celebration with the Heisman pose hinted at his ambitions for the prestigious award. Now, after a well-timed bye, the Buffaloes turn their attention to Kansas State, another formidable opponent also coming off a bye week. Kansas State is fresh off a convincing 42-20 victory over Oklahoma State, fueled by a potent rushing attack that saw junior running back DJ Giddens lead the way with 187 yards and a touchdown.
This Saturday’s matchup marks the first meeting between Colorado and Kansas State since 2010, adding an extra layer of intrigue to this contest. A key focus for Colorado will be containing the Wildcats’ rushing game, particularly the dynamic DJ Giddens. Giddens currently ranks as the seventh-best rusher in the nation, averaging 120.8 yards per game and an impressive 7.3 yards per carry. Colorado will also face a familiar face in the backfield, as Dylan Edwards, last year’s leading rusher for the Buffaloes, returns to Boulder as part of Kansas State’s offensive attack.
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The Buffaloes’ defense has been impressive in recent weeks, particularly against the run. In their victory over UCF, Colorado held the Knights, who boasted the nation’s top rushing attack, to 177 yards on the ground. Their lead running back, RJ Harvey, was limited to just 77 yards. This defensive effort is part of a larger trend for Colorado, as they are one of only six teams in the country that has yet to allow a 100-yard rusher this season. Stopping Giddens and forcing Kansas State into a one-dimensional offense will be critical for Colorado’s success.
Offensively, Shedeur Sanders continues to shine in his second year with the Buffaloes. Sanders has already thrown for 1,630 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season, with Travis Hunter emerging as his go-to target. Hunter ranks third in the country with 46 receptions, and his 561 receiving yards and six touchdowns put him among the nation’s elite. Hunter’s ability to make plays in crucial situations has made him Sanders’ most reliable option when under pressure.
Sheppard is coming off his best performance as a Buff and could become a key red zone target moving forward, particularly with his size at 6’3”. Additionally, LaJohntay Wester, a transfer from Florida Atlantic, has already made a significant impact with five touchdowns on the season. His ability to exploit mismatches, particularly when covered by linebackers or safeties, could play a pivotal role in the Wildcats’ defensive struggles. Kansas State has allowed an average of 244.2 passing yards per game, a weakness Sanders and the Colorado offense will look to exploit.
Deion Sanders calls out ESPN’s Pat McAfee over not favoring Travis Hunter for Heisman
A victory over Kansas State would be significant for Colorado, as it could propel them into the top 25 rankings for the first time this season. The Buffaloes will be ready to put on a show under the lights at Folsom Field.
Martin Necas, Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche have had a lot to celebrate this season. Jeff Curry / Imagn Images
The Colorado Avalanche clinched the Presidents’ Trophy with a 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night.
This is the fourth time in franchise history the Avalanche have finished atop the NHL’s regular-season standings. They also won the Presidents’ Trophy in 1997, 2001 and 2021.
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Colorado will be looking to buck a recent trend of disappointing postseasons for Presidents’ Trophy winners. Nine of the last 10 teams to win the trophy have lost in the first two rounds of the playoffs, and no winner has won the Stanley Cup since the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks.
Prior to that, the Presidents’ Trophy winner had fared relatively well in the postseason. From 1999 to 2008, four of the nine Presidents’ Trophy winners went on to win it all, including Colorado’s 2000-2001 team led by Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Patrick Roy.
Colorado has been the NHL’s dominant team from start to finish in this regular season. It is only the sixth team in league history to hold first place from Nov. 1 through the end of the season. The team has been fueled by stars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, who will both be in the conversation for postseason individual awards. Goaltender Scott Wedgewood has been a pleasant surprise, leading the NHL in save percentage and goals-against average.
The Avalanche will now enter the postseason as the top seed and will face the winner of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. That allows Colorado to avoid the dreaded 2-3 matchup in the Central Division that will pit the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild, two of the league’s best teams, against each other in the opening round.
Colorado has 114 points with four games remaining, with a chance to reach 120 points for the first time in franchise history. Only 12 teams have reached that mark in NHL history, with the most recent being the 2022-23 Bruins (135 points).
Two additional cases of measles have been confirmed in Weld County. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Weld County Public Health, the new cases are in two unvaccinated adults.
Health officials said both people are household contacts of a previously confirmed case that is not linked to the Broomfield schools outbreak. However, officials said they are notifying the public about a potential exposure location in El Paso County related to those cases. Health officials told CBS Colorado last month that the outbreak at the schools had forced 80 students, staff and volunteers to stay away from the campuses due to their vaccination status.
CDPHE said the known exposure location is the Chick-fil-A at the Citadel Crossing Shopping Center located at 505 N. Academy Blvd. in Colorado Springs, March 25 between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Symptoms may occur through April 15.
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CDPHE said while the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine is highly effective, breakthrough cases can occur, especially following prolonged exposure within a household. Breakthrough cases typically experience milder illness and are less likely to spread the virus to others.
Measles is a highly contagious disease. Getting the MMR vaccine is the best way to protect yourself, your family, and your community.
Additional Information from the CDPHE:
What to do if you were exposed
Watch for symptoms: Measles symptoms begin with fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes, followed by a rash that usually starts several days later on the face and spreads. If you were at the location at the listed date and time, you may have been exposed. Watch for symptoms for 21 days after exposure. Monitoring for symptoms is especially critical for people who have not been vaccinated with the MMR vaccine, particularly infants under one year of age who are not routinely recommended for the vaccine. If you develop symptoms, call CDPHE (720-653-3369) or your local public health agency right away.
Call before you go: If you need medical care, do not delay. Call your health care provider, urgent care, or emergency department before going in, and tell them you may have been exposed to measles. This helps prevent further spread.
More information
Visit the CDPHE measles webpage, which includes information about symptoms, transmission, and vaccine recommendations, 2026 Colorado measles case information, and a current list of exposure locations.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife will consider a potential ban on the commercial sale of furbearers at its July commission meeting.
The idea for a ban on the commercial sale, barter or trade of furs from furbearer species — a classification that includes 17 wildlife species like foxes, beavers, coyotes, bobcats and other mesocarnivores — came from a citizen petition brought to Parks and Wildlife last year by a Colorado representative of the Center of Biological Diversity.
The commission approved the petition in March, against the recommendation of Parks and Wildlife staff, initiating a formal rulemaking process on the proposed ban.
Now, Parks and Wildlife is seeking public input on the proposal to inform staff’s development of an issue paper that will be presented to the commission during its July 16-17 meetings. The agency will be accepting input from the public through May 3 on EngageCPW.org.
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The proposed ban — and agency’s overall management of these 17 species — has been a topic of much debate at commission meetings for many months.
In Colorado, furbearers can be hunted with the purchase of a $10 permit available to individuals who purchase a small game license. In its 2024-25 fiscal year, the agency sold 19,620 furbearer permits. While there are currently no limits on the number that a furbearer permit-holder can kill of these species, the agency has had initial discussions about potentially imposing a daily limit.
Samantha Miller, a Grand Lake resident and the senior carnivore campaigner for the Center for Biological Diversity who submitted the petition, has referred to the ban of commercial sale for furbearer furs as a “common sense change” and “low bar” that aligns furbearers with how Colorado manages other wildlife species. Miller and other supporters of the ban argue that allowing the commercial sale of furs incentivizes overharvesting of the animals and threatens overall biodiversity.
In her recommendation to the commission, Laura Clellan, the newly appointed Parks and Wildlife director, wrote that the agency’s main rationale for denying the ban on commercial fur sales is that the petition “lacks solid evidence that commercial fur sales drive harvest levels in Colorado.”
Opponents of the petition supported the agency’s stance and have argued that the state’s current furbearer management works and is backed by science. Many claim that the proposed commercial ban represents a greater attack on hunting and trapping, which represents an important tradition in Colorado and supports conservation.
