Jim Mora inherited a mess. The Rams finished 2-10 in 2025 after Jay Norvell was fired mid-season, and Mora arrives after four solid years running an NFL-style attack at UConn that had the Huskies drawing top-25 votes. He's rebuilding the two-deep with a mix of UConn transfers and CSU holdovers, and a home game against an FCS team is as low-pressure a proving ground as this program is going to get in its first Pac-12 season.
Southern Utah, meanwhile, is making its own return — back in the Big Sky Conference after time away, with DeLane Fitzgerald still running the show in Cedar City. The Thunderbirds open their year on the road against Montana before this trip to Colorado, so by the time they land in Fort Collins they'll have actual game tape instead of just fall-camp buzz.