LARAMIE — It’s officially Wyoming football season.
Man, it will never get old writing those words.
The Cowboys open their 128th season Saturday night at Arizona State. Kickoff is slated for 8:30 p.m. Mountain Time and the game will be televised on FS1. These two teams, who used to be Western Athletic Conference rivals, haven’t met since 1977.
The Sun Devils hold a 9-6 advantage in the overall series.
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It was a busy offseason on the high plains, beginning with the December retirement of Craig Bohl. Just minutes after his 10-year tenure came to a close, the university announced Jay Sawvel would be the 33rd head coach in program history after spending the previous four seasons as Bohl’s defensive coordinator.
Sawvel added new faces to his staff. He inked 38 newcomers on signing day. He added from the portal. That is already paying off. DJ Jones, who spent the previous four years at North Carolina, will be the starting running back in Tempe. Two-time All-American punter Jack Culbreath also comes to Laramie from the Virginia Military Institute.
The Cowboys, for the first time in more than a decade, will have last names on the back of their jerseys. There’s also a third uniform combination.
While the storylines are endless, one most have an eye on is under center. Evan Svoboda, a Mesa, Ariz., native, will start against the Sun Devils Saturday night. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound junior teased the fanbase with a solid showing at Texas last September. That night he completed 17-of-28 passes for 136 yards. Wyoming and the No. 4 team in the nation took a 10-10 tie into the fourth quarter.
Miss any UW football news? We have you covered. Simply click right HERE.
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Now, let’s throw down some dollars …
Here’s this week’s matchups and betting odds:
Wyoming (+7) at Arizona State
Sacramento State (+3.5) at San Jose State
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Colorado State (+32) at No. 4 Texas
Boise State (-13) at Georgia Southern
UNLV (+2.5) at Houston
Nevada (+9) at Troy
Fresno State (+20.5) at No. 9 Michigan
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UCLA (-14) at Hawaii
New Mexico (+31) at No. 21 Arizona
No. 14 Clemson (+13.5) at No. 1 Georgia
No. 8 Penn State (-8) at West Virginia
No. 7 Notre Dame (+3) at No. 20 Texas A&M
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Here’s our best bet this week and a great big thank you to former Wyoming football players Kirk Vanroekel and Mike Fitzgerald for joining us:
Jen Kost graphicJen Kost graphic
University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
The rules are simple: What was the player’s impact while in Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status or any other accolade earned outside of UW is irrelevant when it comes to this list.
This isn’t a one-man job. This task called for a panel of experts. Joining 7220’s Cody Tucker are Robert Gagliardi, Jared Newland, Ryan Thorburn, and Kevin McKinney.
We all compiled our own list of 50 and let computer averages do the work. Think BCS — only we hope this catalog is fairer.
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Don’t agree with a selection? Feel free to sound off on our Twitter: @7220sports – #Top50UWFB
CASPER, Wyo. — Here is a list of those who filed for a divorce from Dec. 22 through Dec. 29. All filings are reported to Oil City News by the Natrona County District Court.
The log is not a comprehensive document and may not represent all of the divorces in Natrona County. The report excludes sealed cases and confidential parties.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department recently announced its plan to move forward in 2026 with developing Feedground Management Action Plans, a key component of the broader Wyoming Elk Feedgrounds Plan.
A release from the Game and Fish Department states that as part of the department’s statewide Chronic Management Plan, the Wyoming Elk Feedgrounds Plan was established to guide the department’s overall and long-term approach to elk management for the 21 feedgrounds across Wyoming. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved the final draft of the strategy in March 2024, following close to four years of collaborative planning with more than 60 volunteer stakeholders.
The release notes that the development of the individual FMAPs is the next step in the process. The department will be working closely with stakeholders, as well as the public, to address key concerns and priorities.
“Game and Fish remains committed to the management of our state’s feedgrounds in an adaptable manner that utilizes the best science available,” said Game and Fish director Angi Bruce. “Supplemental winter feeding of elk has continued to grow in complexity. These plans will allow us to adjust to current and future conditions in feedground management.”
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Specific FMAPs will be developed for each of the six elk herds, as well as their corresponding feedgrounds in the Jackson and Pinedale regions. They’re intended to be a playbook of strategies guiding feedground management through biological, social, and economic factors. FMAPs are designed to be adaptable as on-the-ground-conditions change and science emerges.
In early 2026, draft FMAP documents will be shared during a series of public meetings. They will be presented to the Game and Fish Commission later in the year.
“The goal of the FMAP process is to ensure our strategies are not only sustainable for our agency, but supported and beneficial to the public,” Bruce said. “This is an important issue that has an impact on our state’s wildlife, business owners and residents in our state. Their buy-in and feedback will be essential to a successful long-term plan for feedground management.”
Times and locations for the public meetings will be announced in January on the Game and Fish website. More information on elk feedgrounds, as well as the Feedground Management Plan, can be found on the Elk Feedgrounds page at the Game and Fish Department’s website.
The biggest wind gust in Colorado history blew through Monarch Pass on Feb. 16, 2018, at 148 mph. Not long after that, I moved here, in part to avoid the hurricanes that were pummeling me back East. Now I experience Hurricane Sandy-adjacent conditions while taking mail from my mailbox on random Tuesdays in Fort Collins.
I liked to think that our National Weather Service would at least give me fair warning for wind events. But now the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder is being dismantled for parts.
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
That very building got smacked with a 113-mph gust on Dec. 19, two days after Peak 6 at Brekenfridge was hit with a Polar Express clocked at 124 mph. If there had been any snow, I might have been skiing there, caught air off a mogul and landed at Arapahoe Basin.
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
Little known fact: Colorado’s breezes are actually under the control of the four Greek gods of wind, plus their local representatives. No wonder it’s so breezy here!
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
Fortunately, electric company officials employ a four-part strategy when dangerous winds threaten.
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
Style-conscious Coloradans are learning to cope. (Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
No one is beyond the reach of wind. Especially not Denver Broncos field-goal kicker Wil Lutz.
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
As concerning as our wind situation is, there is one consolation.
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
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Peter Moore is an editor, writer, illustrator, ghostwriter, co-author, radio host, TV guest, speaker, editorial consultant, and journalism lecturer.
In his most recent gig he was interim editor-in-chief of BACKPACKER magazine. Peter…
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