I will have to read (listen) this book - I will soon as I can get it on audio from the library.

It was written by the Friday Night Author: Buzz Bissinger

When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, college football was at the height of its popularity. As the nation geared up for total war, one branch of the service dominated the aspirations of college football stars: the United States Marine Corps. Which is why, on Christmas Eve of 1944, when the 4th and 29th Marine regiments found themselves in the middle of the Pacific Ocean training for what would be the bloodiest battle of the war – the invasion of Okinawa—their ranks included one of the greatest pools of football talent ever assembled: Former All Americans (3), captains from Wisconsin and Brown and Notre Dame (7 captains total), and nearly twenty men who were either drafted or would ultimately play in the NFL.

Within a matter of months, 15 of the 65 players in “The Mosquito Bowl” would be killed at Okinawa, by far the largest number of American athletes ever to die in a single battle.

BZ: MBB - Tristan da Silva ready for challenge of big production with Colorado men’s basketball

BZ: MBB - Pac-12 men’s basketball notes: CU Buffs picked sixth in Pac-12 preseason poll

BZ: FB - Colorado football: Defense key for Buffs re-creating energy at Folsom Field

BZ: FB - CU Buffs football notes: Jayle Stacks takes advantage of opportunity

CU AD: MBB - Follow Pac-12 Men's Basketball Media Day (Includes Link to Season Quick Facts (PDF))

CU AD: SOC - Buffs Embark on Important Road Trip

CUATG Blog: FB - Pac-12 Notes – Arizona State Week - CU back in ESPN’s “Bottom Ten”

CUATG Blog: NIL News and Notes - NCAA updates NIL guidelines: Coaches can be involved in endorsement and sponsorship deals

YouTube: *Video: Interim Offensive Coordinator Clay Patterson*

ESPN: FB - Pac-12 commissioner says fans 'not in favor' of USC, UCLA move

YouTube: MBB - Colorado Buffaloes at Pac-12 Men's Basketball Media Day in San Francisco

Cheers!

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True freshman CB Jason Oliver talks on his first season of collegiate ball.

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CB Toren Pittman talks about his strides on special teams and how the unit has elevated their game.

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RB Jayle Stacks discusses his plays against OSU and stepping up amongst a banged up running back room.

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OLB Guy Thomas discusses preparing for ASU and his career with the Buffs.

NU plays Minnesota Thursday 8/31 at Minnesota and CU on 9/9 in Boulder, then Northern Ill the next weekend. CU plays at TCU on Sept 2, the NU game and then CSU in Boulder the next weekend. Note the Big Ten will keep the current divisions next year and then either do away when divisions or rework them in 2024 with USC/UCLA join.

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Representing Colorado today at Pac-12 Media Day was head coach Tad Boyle, Nique Clifford and Tristan da Silva. They emphasized the team's depth, versatility and how it'll be utilized this 2022-23 season.

The Buffs were slotted right in the middle of the pack. Here's the full preseason poll:


I'm at Pac-12 Media Day in San Francisco and will be sending back video/content while either I or Nikki write stories.

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Interim OC Clay Patterson discusses the learning lessons of last Saturday and his assessment on ASU.

Has anyone heard any feedback on this "secret" scrimmage against Wyoming that happened in the past week?
There's nothing in the UW media world, and I haven't seen anything from CU either.

I have been critical of pur OOC schedule if this is all the effort we are going to put into recruiting and argued for 2 G5 and 1 P5 until we change the organization.
As a fan of college ball I’d rather play all P5 and and 1 G5 OOC that is regional only to rotate CSU and AFA. I would much prefer a 8 game conference schedule. Sadly we don’t recruit well enough to get bowl eligible if we do this.
With all this said I want to dispel the myth of the CU schedule this year as our issue.
AFA is only above .500 because of us and other patsies in OOC
UM is only above .500 because of us and other patsies in OOC
UA, CAL and ASU are bad.
OSU is a 7 or maybe 8 win team.

That is not a difficult schedule. As I pointed out when those other teams OOC were being touted on record no one was taking into account who they played. Now that they are playing other than little sisters of the poor only TCU continues to find a way to win.

CU needs to stop the spin and just admit that the recruiting has killed us. I am really hopeful Rick is gone shortly and we can begin a department rebuild focused on recruiting and support. If we do our schedules won’t be an excuse. It will be execution and to me that will be refreshing.

Maybe we can even recruit well enough to have 2 marquee P5 matchups in our OO. Each year as it should be

BZ: FB - Colorado football: Buffs, ASU unsettled at QB heading into matchup

BZ: FB - Colorado football notes: Buffs’ Guy Thomas aiming for strong finish to career

BZ: WBB - Quay Miller expecting big production in bigger role for Colorado women’s basketball

BZ" WBB - Pac-12 women’s basketball notes: CU Buffs women’s basketball picked eighth in preseason polls

CU AD: FB - Buffs Notes: Sanford Hopes For Another Full House At Folsom

CU AD: WBB - Pac-12 Media Day Coverage

CU AD: XC - CU Ready To Defend Pac-12 Cross Country Titles

CU AD: VB - Colorado To Host LA Opponents

CUATG Blog: FB - CU vs. Arizona State: “T.I.P.S.” for the Buffs’ Last Best Chance at a Victory

CUATG Blog: FB - Podcast: “T.I.P.S.” for CU v. Arizona State / CU’s Last Best Chance at a Victory in 2022?

CUATG Blog: FB - *Video: Mike Sanford’s Weekly Press Conference*

CUATG Blog: FB - Pac-12 Notes – Arizona State Week = CU one of four Power Five teams in CBS Bottom 25 + Stanford giving away tickets to final two home games

AP News: FB - Colorado faces steep climb to return program to glory days

KRDO TV: FB - Commissioner: 10 Pac-12 schools staying put stand united

Buffs Wire: FB - Pac-12 football college wires predictions: Colorado a popular underdog vs. Arizona State in Week 9

Buffs Wire: MBB - Colorado men's basketball recruiting: Buffs are favorites to land four-star Cody Williams

Buffs Wire: MBB - CU Buffs fall short in USA TODAY Sports preseason men’s basketball coaches poll (..."the Buffs still have an intriguing team.")

Cheers!

UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson promoted the video game “Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time” through a recent NIL deal with the video game developer and publisher Activision. Thompson-Robinson posted a sponsored TikTok video of him playing the game, complete with on-screen captions that were written in an arcade-style font.

Thompson-Robinson has more than 640,000 followers on TikTok.

The NIL marketplace MOGL helped facilitate the deal. MOGL co-founder and CEO Ayden Syal said there was a strong fit between Thompson-Robinson and the Santa Monica, California-based video game developer.

“The fact that he plays the game and had a strong appreciation for the new launch was a requirement here and definitely something that Activision looked at,” Syal said. “We wanted the content to be not only organic but truly mean something.”

“It’s been a great season, bro,” Thompson-Robinson says into a gaming headset in the video, while playing the video game. “Yeah, we’ve been playing some really good teams. You know, I’m feeling it right now.”

Through seven games, Thompson-Robinson has completed a career-high 73.8% of his pass attempts for 1,772 yards, 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He has also rushed for 267 yards and four touchdowns. UCLA (6-1) is ranked No. 12 in the latest AP Top 25 poll.

In the video, an actor who’s wearing a Crash Bandicoot costume jumps into view.

“Wait a minute,” Thompson-Robinson says. “Aye, you’re Crash Bandicoot, aren’t you?”

The future of partnerships with video game publishers​

With “EA Sports College Football” scheduled for a July 2023 release, following a hiatus of EA Sports’ college football video games after the release of “NCAA Football 14,” there could soon be an increase in NIL deals between college athletes and video game publishers.

The players whose names, images and likenesses will be used in “EA Sports College Football” will agree to participate in the video game through a group licensing partner, but EA Sports could also partner with specific, high-profile players to promote its release.

The player who’s chosen to appear on the cover of the video game will likely receive additional compensation on top of the agreed-upon group licensing terms.

“I think that we absolutely will see a massive uptick in video game promotion amongst athletes just given the fact that the engagement rates amongst their audiences is going to be their friends who they’re playing the games with and things like that,” Syal said. “So 100%. I mean, group rights and group licensing is going to be a major component of this. We could also see, as the metaverse continues to expand, basically player profiles or player avatars be associated with group rights as well.”

Through some creative video editing, Thompson-Robinson appears in the video game world.

“What is this place, dude?” Thompson-Robinson says.

The actor playing Crash Bandicoot responds, “Hey man, it’s my homeland.”

The opening scene of Thompson-Robinson’s TikTok video said “Part I” and he will post two more parts as part of the partnership. Other athletes will share Thompson-Robinson’s video, plus create their own content, too.

Here's the weekly look at Colorado's upcoming opponent. This week, it's Arizona State. The Sun Devils have some talent, but they've struggled mightily this season and, like CU, made an in-season coaching change. I wonder when the last time was that two interim coaches faced each other in a game taking place before November. Maybe it's never happened

The Buffs take on the Sun Devils at home this Saturday and both teams are assessing their situations at quarterback. Regardless of who takes the start, “I think Saturday night, 5 o’clock is going to be a fantastic football game,” Sanford said.

Player updates and preparing for ASU:

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Interim HC Mike Sanford discusses ASU, the situation at quarterback, changing the landscape for CU football and the returns of Deion Smith and Alex Fontenot.

I got the core of this schedule from MaxPreps and then tried to verify on the school sites, but not all had their 2022 schedules on the sites, so if you see a game you really want to go to you might want to check with the school by calling or checking the site. They might update their sites day to day. The second school listed is the home team. I also added the addresses of the stadiums more than one school plays their home games at.

Thursday, October 27
6:00 PM
Cheyenne Mountain vs Coronado - Garry Berry Stadium
Denver West vs Alameda - Trailblazer Stadium
Pomona vs Lakewood - Jeffco Stadium
Pueblo East vs Discovery Canyon - District 20 Stadium

7:00 PM
Arvada @ Weld Central
Bear Creek vs Ponderosa - EchoPark Stadium
Castle View vs Highlands Ranch - Halftime Help Stadium
Cherokee Trail vs Smoky Hill - Stutler Bowl
Fairview vs Rocky Mountain - French Field
Gateway vs Centaurus - Spangenberg Field
Loveland vs Longmont - Everly-Montgomery Field
Mitchell @ Pueblo County
Timnath @ Brush

Friday, October 28
3:30 PM
Hinkley vs Palmer - Garry Berry Stadium

4:00 PM
Douglas County vs Legend - EchoPark Stadium
Littleton vs Green Mountain - Trailblazer Stadium
Standley Lake vs Dakota Ridge - Jeffco Stadium
Thomas Jefferson vs Denver South - All City Stadium

6:00 PM
Dolores @ Sanford
Dove Creek @ Sargent
Fort Collins vs Boulder - Reicht Field
Highland @ Manual

6:30 PM
Far Northeast Warriors vs Vista PEAK Prep - Aurora Public Schools Stadium

7:00 PM
Arapahoe vs Eaglecrest - Lagacy Stadium
Arvada West vs Ralston Valley - North Area Athletic Complex
Basalt @ Aspen
Bayfield @ Pagosa Springs
Belleview Christian @ Lyons
Berthoud @ Steamboat Springs
Broomfield vs Heritage - Littleton Public Stadium
Centauri @ Monte Vista
Colorado Springs Christian @ Peyton
Crowley County @ John Mall
Del Norte @ Ignacio
Denver East vs Mountain Range - North Stadium
Denver North vs George Washington - All City Stadium
D'Evelyn @ Valley Vista
Eads @ Idalia
Eagle Valley @ Glenwood Springs
Flagler @ Briggsdale
Fort Lupton @ Faith Christian
Fossil Ridge vs Poudre - French Field
Fountain-Fort Carson @ Regis Jesuit
Frederick @ Mead
Front Range Christian @ Byers
Golden vs Grand Junction - Stocker Stadium
Grand Junction Central @ Windsor
Grandview vs Cherry Creek - Stutler Bowl
Greeley Central vs Skyline - Everly Montgomery Stadium
Greeley West @ Erie
Hanover @ Genoa Hugo
Holly @ Swink
Jefferson @ Denver Christian
Kennedy @ Lutheran
Kent Denver @ Englewood
Lamar @ Manitou Springs
Legacy @ Brighton
Meeker @ Oalthe
Mesa Ridge @ Falcon
Montezuma-Cortez vs Delta
Mountain View @ Severance
Niwot @ Riverdale Ridge
North Fork @ Roaring Fork
Norwood @ Monument Valley, UT
Overland vs Doherty - Garry Berry Stadium
Palisade @ Durango
Palmer Ridge @ Vista Ridge
Plateau Valley @ West Grand
Platte Canyon @ Strasburg
Primero @ Cheraw
Prospect Ridge Academy @ Platte Valley
Pueblo Centennial vs Pueblo South - Dutch Clark Stadium
Pueblo West @ Montrose
Rampart @ Air Academy
Rangely @ Vail Christian
Rangeview @ Mullen
Rifle @ Coal Ridge
Rocky Ford @ Rye
Roosevelt vs Thompson Valley - Ray Patterson Stadium
Sand Creek @ Canon City
Sierra @ Lewis-Palmer
Silver Creek vs Monarch - Spangenberg Field
St. Mary's @ Simla
Sterling @ University
Stratton @ Fleming
Summit @ Battle Mountain
The Classical Academy @ Elizabeth
The Pinnacle @ Sheridan
Thornton vs Aurora Central - Aurora Public Schools Stadium
ThunderRidge vs Rock Canyon - EchoPark Stadium
Trinidad @ Center
Valor Christian vs Mountain Vista - Halftime Help Stadium
Walsh @ Manzanola
Wellington @ Bennett
Westminster vs Northglenn - Five Star Stadium
Widefield vs Liberty - District 20 Stadium
Wiley @ McClave
Wray @ Wiggins
Yuma @ Limon

7:30 PM
Akron @ Caliche
Columbine vs Chatfield - Jeffco Stadium
Evergreen vs Wheat Ridge - Trailblazer Stadium
Haxtun vs Merino

Saturday, October 29
11:00 AM
Fort Morgan vs Northfield - All City Stadium
Prairie View @ Horizon

1:00 PM
Burlington @ Holyoke
Chaparral vs Pine Creek - District 20 Stadium
Cheyenne Wells @ Branson/Kim
Clear Creek @ Middle Park
Eaton @ The Academy
Ellicott vs Banning Lewis Academy - Falcon High School
Estes Park vs Flatirons Academy - North Stadium
Fowler @ Dolores Huerta Prep
Gilpin County vs Justice - Recht Field
Sedgwick County @ Dayspring Christian Academy

2:00 PM
Hi-Plains @ Prairie
Holy Family vs Lincoln - All City Stadium
Miami-Yoder @ Sangre de Cristo
Mountain Valley @ North Park
Fruita Monument @ Adams City

6:00 PM
Northridge @ Resurrection Christian
South Park @ Pikes Peak Christian

7:00 PM
Alamosa @ Woodland Park

Hey Rivals team,

Any info on the following... I realize your efforts are on Football but basketball updates would be apreciated.
1) Saturday's closed scrimmage with WYO
2) Reccruiting, namely C Williams, The two Denver bigs and the Austrailian big guy
3) How are practices progressing? Any notable injuries?
4) The game this Sunday vs. The Huskers

Really late here regarding my observations of the scrimmage a couple of weeks ago so here goes.

1) J'Vonne H is a relentless high energy effort kid. He is a tough, strong and will garner some minutes with the second unit. Like this Soph.
2) Lawson L... still mssing shots around the rim but noticeably sronger and in better shape. Still hanging his head a bit but his effort is there. He will be the starting C and just needs to rebound, block some shots, set some picks and get a few put backs each game.
3) KJ and Hammond looked good playing together. This allows KJ to play off of the ball more and use his ability to get to the hoop.
4) KJ- bigger, stronger and smarter. Still the occasional bad decision and hopefully his shot will improve but he looks solid and ready to go.
5) Jalen G looked to be the best overall player on the court to me. He can really get to the rim and is a dam good defender too. Strong, smart kid. Great pick-up by Tad.
6) E Wright was just off on his three's (made only one) but works hard and never gets down on himself. Mature kid who I still think will occasionally get the start dependkng on the opponent.
7) Javon R- he looked pretty dang good until he tweaked his ankle. He was right in froont of me when it happened but glad to hear he is good to go.
I was pleasantly surprised with his game.
8) Luke OB- good looking strong athlete who has really improved his overall game. Nice stroke and busts hi a** in D. Tad loves this kid and he will see major minutes this year.
9) Joel H- typical freshman who looks lost at times but will have a dam good overall offensive game by next hear. It's just tough coming in here from a small school and competing against men. But, he will need to play 10-15m per game to give our other Bigs a rest.
10) Tristan- was doubled team alot (by design I assume) so he didn't get untracked. I expect this to be the case during the season which is why we need the other starters to up their offensive game. He wil be fine.
11) Qunicy A is a great athlete but didn't show much but I am sure he will fit into the mix somewhere. He just hasn't played much the last couole of years but by League play he should be much improved and could really break out next year.

This looks to be a good FT shooting team with alot of flexable rotations that Tad can utilize. I expect him to tinker with the starting lineup and rotations (like he usually does) early on and thenn settle in as the season progresses. There is a lot of depth on this team and narrowing it down to an 8-9 man rotation will be tough, but a good problem to have.

Can we just get over the thinking that Shroutt is a good QB and that
CU is more than just another middle of the pack MWC team.

GoPokes242424 wins this week with 7 correct. He vaults into 2nd place. Congrats.
Note that players shown in gold are paid, those in red are playing for fun. Season Standings are at the bottom.

Week 7 results:
1) 7 pts - GoPokes242424
2) 6 pts - buffskickbut, Longtimebuff1
3) 5 pts - SoCoBuff, NCBuff1, Original Stats, BuffTicket
4) 4 pts - Bufffan42, rward
5) 3 pts - Dtownbuff, ldbuff, CRBuff
6) 2 pts - Buff Aloha
7 ) 0 pts - CoachCody27, buffalo52565, DBBUFF, Forecast6236

Items:
1) CU Total Points - 14.5 : Actual = 9 Under
2) OSU Total Points - 37.5 : Actual = 42 Over
3) CU Total Offense Yards - 285.5 : Actual = 290 Over
4) OSU Total Offense Yards - 415.5 yards: Actual = 472 yards Over
5) CU Completed Passes - 20.5 : Actual = 13 Under
6) OSU Completed Passes - 18.5 yards : Actual = 14 Under
7) CU High Rusher Yds - 55.5 - Actual = 50 Under
8) OSU High Rusher Yds - 121.5 : Actual = 184 Over
9) CU High Receiver Yds - 78.5 : Actual = 92 Over
10) OSU High Receiver Yds - 78.5 mins : Actual = 60 Under

Tiebreaker #1 - CU Punts - Actual = 4
Tiebreaker #2 - CU Longest Rush = 19

Season Standings:
1) 43 pts - Original Stats
2) 41 pts - GoPokes242424
3) 40 pts - SoCo Buff, Buff Ticket, Buffskickbut, Longtimebuff1
4) 38 pts - BuffFan42
5) 36 pts - ldbuff, CRBuff
6) 34 pts - dtownbuff
7) 33 pts - Buff Aloha
8) 32 pts - rward
9) 30 pts - NCBuff1
10) 18 pts - buffalo52565
11) 13 pts - Coachcody27
12) 10 pts - DBBUFF
13) 5 pts - Forecast6236

If you think I made a mistake let me know asap.

I get it, you either love him or hate him, but there’s no doubt he would change this program

Yes please

Could either offense score or would it simply be first one to 3 wins?

BZ: FB - CU Buffs offense still trying to find rhythm, consistency

BZ: FB - Colorado football notes: Buffs injury updates

BZ: MBB - Tristan da Silva, KJ Simpson earn Pac-12 MBB preseason all-conference honors

BZ: WBB - Jaylyn Sherrod leads Colorado women’s basketball trio on Pac-12 preseason all-conference team

BZ: WBB - CU Buffs women’s basketball: Freshman Ally Fitzgerald learning through adjustment period

BZ: Chat replay: CU Buffs beat writer Brian Howell (Oct. 24, 2022)

CU AD: MBB - Da Silva, Simpson, Recognized On Preseason Pac-12 Team

CU AD: WBB - Three Buffs Earn Preseason Honors

CU AD: WGOLF - Colorado Places 10th At The Jim West Challenge

CUATG Blog: FB - Pac-12 Notes – Arizona State Week - (Wilner) Why USC remains the Pac-12’s best bet for a Playoff berth

MSN: FB - Pac-12 expansion update, and media rights deal believed to be happening soon

DP: FB - Keeler: Dan Hawkins 58, Ed McCaffrey 10! UNC Bears of October look like CU Buffs of September.

Sports Book Wire: FB - First look: Arizona State at Colorado odds and lines

Duck Territory: FB - Oregon kickoff time against Colorado held in six-day window

Buffs Wire: MBB - ESPN predicts Colorado men's hoops to finish in bottom half of Pac-12

Buffs Wire: FB - Mike Sanford's thoughts following Colorado's loss to Oregon State

Cheers!

after this coming season.

Saturday delivered the real and all-too-familiar Buffs experience — a revealing 42-9 loss full of missed opportunities on offense and too few answers on defense. Arizona State projected to be a winnable game, but after the 33-point loss to the Beavers, attainable wins are few and far between.