DENVER — The Colorado State Rams and their new coaching staff open their season Saturday with a chance to play spoilers, as they face the No. 8 Michigan Wolverines at 10 a.m. to kick off a full day of college football on Denver7.
The Rams hired Jay Norvell this offseason, bringing him over from conference foe Nevada, where he went 8-4 last season and 33-26 in five seasons there. Norvell is the fourth CSU head coach over the last nine seasons.
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Redshirt freshman Clay Millen, who is expected to start for the Rams, is expected to be the first freshman starting quarterback for CSU since 2010. The Rams bring a starting offensive line with nearly 100 games under its belt, though they have never played together as a full unit, and only six starters on both offense and defense are returning.
It’s Colorado State’s first ever visit to Ann Arbor, and a win would be monumental for CSU. They come into the game as 30.5-point underdogs to the Wolverines, who are ranked No. 8 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the AFCA Coaches Poll.
The Rams are 2-17 since 1993 against top-10 opponents and have not beaten a ranked team since defeating No. 6/7 Colorado in 2002. They are 13-36 since 1993 against ranked opponents.
The Rams and Wolverines have only ever played once before, when Michigan beat CSU 24-14 in the 1994 Holiday Bowl in San Diego.
Michigan finished last season ranked No. 3 in both polls – the highest end-of-season ranking since 1999. They have not lost a non-conference game under Jim Harbaugh.
Denver7 News at 9 a.m. precedes ABC’s coverage of the game. Georgia plays Oregon on Denver7 starting at 1:30 p.m., followed by Notre Dame and Ohio State starting at 5:30 p.m. Denver7 postgame coverage will start after the Fighting Irish-Buckeyes game, with Denver7 News at 10 to follow on Saturday night.
Denver7 on Local3 will also host two other CSU football games this season – on Saturday, Sept. 10 when Middle Tennessee plays in Fort Collins and on Sept. 24 when Sacramento State comes to CSU.
