Navigating the schedule outside the safe confines of football Saturdays. Tonight: Selling Colorado's weird trip into MAC country.

Because it's there.
It's Friday night and there is but one single, solitary game being broadcast; unless you're attending a high school game, this is your best option to get properly riled up for tomorrow. But there are storylines afoot here that aren't without merit:

• Colorado and Toledo are both coming off very interesting weekends, in their own ways. Toledo's is more of a "What unexpectedly delightful moments I found in this stuffy art film" interesting, kind of hanging in there in a shootout with a Big Ten team (albeit a (probably) very bad Big Ten team), while Colorado's interesting has more of a "Hey, look at that perfectly preserved dead bird on the sidewalk" feel, coming off a bewildering home loss  to hated rival Colorado State.

• How will first-year Rockets head coach Tim Beckman prepare his team for a primetime home stand without looking ahead to a looming date with Ohio State next weekend?

• Will Dan Hawkins abandon the citified greaseball hairdo he sported last week to no apparent avail and return to nature? Will he yank his own son from the starting quarterback slot and re-de-redshirt Tyler Hansen? Will he take the field surrounded by a flock of bluebirds straightening his sunglasses and buttoning his shirt? We are talking Dan Hawkins here: All of thee are equally probable.

• On a more personal note, we wouldn't mind seeing Toledo's intriguingly named Glass Bowl, if only because we imagine the field being strewn with broken glass.

Because someone needs to check in on Darrell Scott.
The prize running back recruit of the class of 2008 struggled to stay healthy in his first season, but reportedly came back leaner and meaner after an offseason diet of steel, sweat and obligatory maturation. He returned in Week One to the tune of ... one carry for one yard. Oh, and don't forget his one reception.

Hawkins kept his most hyped offensive threat busy returning kicks against the Rams, while the rest of his rushing offense added an heroic 28 yards on the ground. Toledo's run defense is Not Good. Let's see if that prize pony runs free tonight.

Because, somehow, this may actually end up being a game.
Colorado's only a 3.5-point favorite to a team that gave up 52 points last week to a rebuilding outfit (Purdue) that no one thought would be as good as Colorado a week ago. Toledo will be tuning up every weapon at their disposal to warm up for the Buckeyes next week. Toledo's Aaron Opelt had the highest passing output in the country (423) against the Boilermakers, Colorado hasn't proven it can keep up with anyone, and the Buffs are coming in on two fewer days' rest and prep than they're used to. (Which they could use even in the best of scenarios -- I watched the entirety of their season opener, and both lines were getting knocked flat all over the place, all game.) Strap in and send out for popcorn; we may be in for something here. Really, not just the glass wounds.