Colorado has lost a quarterback to concussions and hard feelings. The Buffaloes have lost games to teams they should have beaten. They've lost respect from poll voters and those who thought they'd be the choice to repeat as Big 12 North Division champions.

They have not lost their sense of humor.

A WAC-ky conference race

The thinning of the WAC herd begins this week in what's shaping up as the most wide-open conference title chase in years. With Fresno State and Louisiana Tech looking vulnerable coming out of their usual brutal non-conference schedule, at least four other teams look to mount serious challenges for the conference championship. Hawaii and Boise State are the first to throw down, meeting Saturday in a matchup that features two teams with decent defenses and highly potent attacks -- they rank seventh and ninth, respectively, in total offense in Division I-A -- that have gotten strong relief performances from their backup quarterbacks. When standout quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie went down with a broken ankle four weeks ago against Arkansas, the Broncos (3-1, 0-0) didn't need a savior. With a very talented receiving corps and capable running backs, they just someone who wouldn't gum the works. Fifth-year senior B.J. Rhode has been that guy and more. Last week in 3-1 Boise's 63-38 win over Utah State, Rhode, who had only one career start before taking over for Dinwiddie, threw for five touchdowns and was named WAC Offensive Player of the Week. He's fourth in the nation in pass efficiency, just what the Broncos need. "He's one of those rare kids,'' said Boise coach Dan Hawkins. "You always tell guys to prepare well, that they never know when they'll get a shot. Even though it seems obscure, he was always one of the first guy to watch film or work on the game plan. And then he gets his chance." Hawaii (3-1, 2-0) has gotten solid play from its quarterbacks. With Tommy Chang struggling with a broken finger, Shawn Withy-Allen has played solidly at quarterback. Chang, who appears to be over the injury based on his 15-of-29, 246-yard night against SMU, will probably still split time with Withy-Allen. The Warriors have already feasted on WAC weaklings UTEP and SMU, teams they can make mistakes against and not pay for them. That will need to change against Boise State. "Six turnovers on offense and we still won by 30 points,'' said Hawaii coach June Jones of the SMU win. "That shows the potential we have if we do things right." -- Mark Wangrin

Roy Hobbs, Sergeant Hulka, Vito Corleone and the Gingerbread Man (from Shrek) are listed on the Buffaloes' injury report this week, a direct jab at the coach who heads the Kansas State program they'll face this week. Bill Snyder has long refused to release information about injuries, and CU sports information director David Plati decided to list "famous movie injuries" this week instead of the normal list of CU's wounded.

This practice did not extend to the depth chart, where it wouldn't hurt if the Buffaloes had a Rudy or two.

The closest thing they have to the story of the underdog Notre Dame walk-on is their quarterback, Robert Hodge, who was expected to do little more than hold a clipboard this year as Craig Ochs led the Buffaloes through the Big 12 North gauntlet.

When Ochs suffered a concussion against San Diego State, it further eroded a strained relationship between Ochs and coach Gary Barnett and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. Ochs announced he was leaving the team, no shock considering his history of concussions, but then the former team captain stunned the Buffaloes by transferring to Division I-AA Montana.

Last week that proved to be a hot story in and around Boulder, taking up nearly all the headlines in an otherwise quiet open week.

"I don't think the team really cares who the quarterback is,'' Barnett said. "Everybody has their own things to take care of. They have a great deal of trust in him, or whoever is in there."

Hodge has proven to be a capable, if inconsistent, replacement who'll need to step up his game to prevent Kansas State from ganging up against Chris Brown and the Colorado running game.

"We have to be more consistent throwing the ball better,'' said CU coach Gary Barnett. "We have to find ways to match their speed."

If Colorado has hopes to turn it around, it can look to history.

Barnett has never been one to want to remember September. He won back-to-back Big Ten titles at Northwestern but in each of those seasons he lost non-conference games -- to Miami of Ohio and Wake Forest. Last year the Buffaloes were routed 41-7 by Texas in a regular season game but came back to upset the Longhorns for the Big 12 title.

Kansas State (4-0) deviated from its usual soft non-conference schedule to take a 27-20 win from Southern California, which a week earlier had hung a 40-3 loss on Colorado. But Snyder prefers to look at what the Buffaloes did in a 31-7 win at UCLA a week later.

"When you watch that game, Colorado looked very much like the team that won the conference championship last year,'' Snyder said. "You can see the same things taking place. They ran the ball well. They played good solid defense. They didn't make mistakes."

KSU, meanwhile, can be two different teams. A fast, special-teams and defense oriented team with a running quarterback (Ell Roberson). Or a fast, special teams and defense oriented team with a passing quarterback (Marc Dunn).

As for who will likely get the call against Colorado, the normally coy Snyder said of Roberson, "He's at the top of the leaderboard now."

"You almost have to prepare for two teams this week, depending on what quarterback they play," Barnett said.

That's what Snyder's facing as well, though it's got little to do with the quarterback. Who will Kansas State face this week... Roy Hobbs or the Gingerbread Man... It's up to Colorado to decide.

Around the Big 12

Baylor
Finding positives at Baylor isn't easy, so it should be noted that Jonathan Golden's 263 rushing yards this year is already 18 more than Anthony Krieg had all of last year when he led the Bears in rushing. ... This could be the Bears' last, best shot this year to end their 29-game Big 12 losing streak. None of the teams the Bears are scheduled to play in the second half of the season currently have losing records. ... End A.C. Collier, a second-team all-conference pick last year, not only is without a sack but he's lost his starting position to sophomore Khari Long. ... Junior wide receiver J.T. Thompson, the Bears' third-leading receiver, began his career at Kansas, where he caught eight passes as a freshman before transferring to Kilgore (Tex.) Junior College.

Colorado
Fourth down has been productive at Colorado. Buffalo punter Mark Mariscal (51.1-yard average) and returner Jeremy Bloom (24.2) both lead the nation. Bloom is expected to play Saturday against Kansas State despite a broken toe. ... Former starter Zac Colvin is listed as the top backup to Robert Hodge at quarterback but the Buffs have a couple of other options. Freshman walk-on Joe Klatt has been impressive and could be the team's quarterback of the future. Freshman James Cox, who the Buffs hope to redshirt, is another option.

Iowa State
Iowa State coach Dan McCarney got two unexpected things out of the Cyclones' stunning win over Nebraska -- a swollen lip and insomnia. The swollen lip came when Cyclones' fans stormed the field to tear down the goalposts after ISU's lopsided win over Nebraska. The insomnia came from the excitement, and led to McCarney heading to his office at 5 a.m. Sunday to watch tape. ... Wide receiver Lane Danielson said there are two ways to look at ISU's win and left little doubt which way he favors. "I'm sure some people will say that this isn't the Nebraska of old. But this isn't the Iowa State team of old." ... ISU guard Luke Vander Sanden is the hard-luck story of the year. In the same game in which he returned two weeks early from a broken left ankle suffered in early August, he broke his right leg. Vander Sanden will miss the rest of the season.

Kansas
Joe Paterno has nothing on Kansas coach Mark Mangino. A week before the Penn State coach's famous sprint to berate officials after the Nittany Lions' loss to Iowa, Mangino was censured by the Kansas State High School Activities Association for verbally abusing officials at a game involving his son's Lawrence High School team. Tommy Mangino, the team's starting quarterback, was hit and had to leave the game, prompting his father's tirade. It's uncertain what action was taken, but it's likely the older Mangino won't be on hand when Lawrence High plays its next home game on Oct. 3. ... Junior Danny Lewis brings two jersey's to games, one with his number as an offensive lineman (78) and one for his new role as a tight end (88).

Kansas State
Kansas State's defense and special teams have scored six touchdowns this season, more than the entire Army and North Texas teams (5 each). ... Former KSU football coach Hobb Adams, who led the Wildcats in 1940-41 and 1946, died last week in Los Angeles. ... KSU's jump from 25th to 15th in the Associated Press poll after the win over USC was the largest such jump in school history. ... For all the Wildcats' success on special teams, there are still concerns. KSU's special teams committed 2 of the team's five turnovers and 5 of its 12 penalties in the win over USC. ... Jared Brite has replaced Joe Rheem as the starting kicker. Neither has been effective from long range.

Missouri
Missouri will have to buck history to upset Oklahoma this weekend. The Tigers last win over a top 10 team was on Oct. 3, 1981, when they beat No. 9 Mississippi State. Since then Mizzou is 0-42 against top 10 teams and 0 for its last 10 against any ranked team. ... Heralded freshman running back Mario Whitney is a likely candidate for a medical redshirt. Whitney suffered a concussion in the preseason and then separated his shoulder while warming up for the Bowling Green game. He had seen in action in the first two games, carrying 5 times for 7 yards. ... Mizzou made a couple of switches in its lines for last week's game with Troy State. Tony Palmer replaced Cliff Young at guard and Russ Bell stepped in for C.J. Mosley at nose guard.

Nebraska
Nebraska fans have no shortage of suggestions for their beloved Cornhuskers, but getting rid of coach Frank Solich isn't one of them. Six prominent boosters told the Lincoln Journal-Star that they support Solich, and four of them said changes in the program are needed. One of the boosters said that Solich should hire an offensive coordinator. The fifth-year coach calls his own plays. ... Nebraska is searching for answers after getting only 81 yards rushing against Iowa State. Taking the redshirt off of freshman David Horne could be one of them. Horne was rated as one of the top five running backs in the nation by several top recruiting services out of Omaha Central, which also produced Ahman Green and Gale Sayers, among others. ... The Cornhuskers should get their woes out of their system this week. They face I-AA McNeese State, though the Cowboys are far from a pushover. They're 4-0 and rank fifth in rush defense in I-AA (70.5 yards a game allowed).

Oklahoma
Oklahoma hired Kevin Wilson from Northwestern to perk up the rushing game but the Sooners continue to struggle. They had only 239 total yards against South Florida, and only 62 yards rushing even after the three sacks allowed were subtracted from the total. The one constant in the Sooners offense has been quarterback Nate Hybl, who's not gone 116 straight passes without an interception. ... Flanker Mark Clayton has recovered from minor knee surgery and is expected to play against Missouri. So is guard Brad Davis (ankle) but it's uncertain if cornerback Andre Woolfolk, who's been sidelined with a bruised knee, will join them on the field. ... Flanker JeJuan Rankins became the 13th true freshman to play for the Sooners this season.

Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State is expected to regain the services of five starters who missed the Southern Methodist game. Linebacker Terrence Robinson (knee), defensive linemen Greg Richmond (ankle) and Khreem Smith (knee), wide receiver Willie Young (ankle) and halfback Tatum Bell (ankle) are all expected back in time for their Oct. 5 Big 12 opener at Texas. The Cowboys are expected to be the healthiest they've been at halfback, with Seymore Shaw, Vernand Morency and Bell all recovered from ankle injuries and Greg Jones back from minor knee surgery, though Jones may still redshirt. ... Since 1990, OSU is 3-13 after open dates. ... Defensive tackle Lance Carson, a highly regarded JUCO transfer who arrived last winter but struggled with a knee injury and academic problems, has been dismissed from the team.

Texas
Texas is expected to regain the services of split end Roy Williams (hamstring) and cornerback/punt returner Nathan Vasher (ankle) for the conference opener against Oklahoma State. ... Mack Brown said he wants to use freshman halfback Selvin Young earlier in the game in relief of starter Cedric Benson and get him a third of the halfbacks' touches. Brown said he'd like to get the ball in Benson and Young, who had three touchdowns in a relief role against the Green Wave, from 40 to 50 times. ... After the Horns' 49-0 win over Tulane in the Superdome last weekend, a segment of the estimated 35,000 UT fans in attendance serenaded the team with chants of "Beat OU! Beat OU!" as they left the field. Said cornerback Rod Babers, "No man, it's beat O-S-U. They left out a letter."

Texas A&M
Texas A&M got a good warmup for its game against Texas Tech's spread offense. The Aggies dropped eight into coverage and still managed a strong pass rush in holding Louisiana Tech without a touchdown for the first time since 1994. ... Kevin Sumlin has gotten good reviews for his debut as the Aggies' new play caller. Sumlin replaced deposed offensive coordinator Dino Babers last week and the Aggies responded by averaging 4.8 yards a rush and 7.9 a pass attempt and converting 9 of 16 third-down opportunities. Dustin Long had his best game at quarterback and appears to have found a go-to receiver in Jamaar Taylor. A&M still has to close better -- though the Aggies averaged 7.1 yards per play in the first half they only scored 17 points.

Texas Tech
Texas Tech shuffled its offense line starters last week because of injuries. Right tackle Casey Keck (ankle) was sidelined, with redshirt freshman E.J. Whitley taking his place. Left guard Jon Rodriguez (leg) was replaced by Toby Cecil, who moved over from center. Both are questionable for A&M this week. ... The Red Raiders have the top two tacklers in the Big 12, a sign of one of two things -- padded stats or a defense that's on the field too much. Middle linebacker Lawrence Flugence, who averages 17.2 tackles a game, and strong safety Ryan Aycock top the list.

Around the WAC
Louisiana Tech's opponents may have figured out what to do against the Bulldogs. Texas A&M dropped eight into coverage and limited Luke McCown to only 176 yards passing while ending Tech's string of 74 games with a touchdown. Of course, duplicating A&M's fierce three-man pass rush might not be easy. ... Fresno State, with a losing record five games into the season (2-3) for the first time since 1998, returns home to play No. 25 Colorado State. It's the Bulldogs' first home game in 35 days and it's certainly welcome -- FSU has won 21 of its last 23 at Bulldog Stadium ... Hawaii might have to do without running back Mike Bass, who sprained his right knee against UTEP. Bass, who averages 7.9 yards a carry, would likely be replaced by a combination of John West and Thero Mitchell in the Warriors' run-and-shoot offense. ... UTEP quarterback Jon Schaper completed 9 of his first 11 last week against Hawaii and appeared to finally have found his touch when he suffered a concussion and had to leave the game. He's listed as questionable for the Miners game at San Jose State. ...Rice's home game against Fresno State this weekend marks the first college game at new Reliant Stadium, the home of the NFL's Houston Texans. The facility has a retractable roof and Rice officials are unsure if they'll close it or leave it open. "I may see how my garage door opener works,'' said coach Ken Hatfield. ... SMU continues to be a one-trick Pony. The Mustangs got 132 yards rushing from Kris Briggs, but the rest of the team managed only 107 yards at Oklahoma State. Despite those poor stats, halfback Keylon Kincaid remains the only WAC running back to average more than 100 yards a game (105.4). ... San Jose State free safety Gerald Jones, a former walk-on, leads the nation with six interceptions, two short of the school season record. As a team the Spartans lead the nation with 14 picks. ... Nevada will enter this week's rivalry game banged up on defense. Cornerback Leondre Lewis broke his right wrist in the lost to Colorado State and middle linebacker Daryl Towns went out with a dislocated right shoulder, though the Wolf Pack is hopeful he'll play against the Rebels. ... Boise State blocking tight end Kevin Louwsma will miss the Hawaii game while serving a team suspension for unspecified rules violations. The status of cornerback Machtier Clay, who was also suspended for last week's win over Utah State, is uncertain. ... Tulsa appears doomed to have its school-record extending 11th straight losing season, with games still remaining against Boise, Hawaii, Fresno and San Jose State left. The Hurricane built a 13-0 lead against Kansas before falling, only the second time all year they'd led.

Mark Wangrin covers college football for the San Antonio News-Express.