Denver ? There’s a little more spice than usual to the annual Rocky Mountain Rivalry between Colorado and Colorado State this year.

In the first shocker of the college football season, the Buffs ruined coach Dan Hawkins’ Boulder debut by losing to Montana State in the program’s first game against a lower division school.

Asked if he wanted to make an opening statement during the Big 12 coaches conference call this week, Hawkins cracked: “I think we already made our opening statement, unfortunately.”

The Rams aren’t laughing. Despite routing Weber State in their opener, they’re reeling themselves.

One week after losing their best player, running back Kyle Bell, for the season because of a knee injury, Colorado State was rocked again Wednesday when three players were arrested in a felony fraud and forgery case.

For once, the scandal was on the other campus.

The Colorado program has been rattled by off-field allegations over the past few years, ranging from accusations of sexual assault by football players to claims by authorities that alcohol was used to entice recruits to the Boulder campus.

So, the Buffs know all about dealing with unpleasant diversions and they wouldn’t wish that even on the Rams.

“I’m not happy to hear about that at all,” Buffs center Mark Fenton said. “Hopefully it doesn’t disrupt their team and they can move beyond that.”

With the annual matchup moving back to Denver’s Invesco Field for the first time since 2003, the Rams are looking to end a three-game skid to Colorado. Each of those games were decided in the final minute.

The Buffs are looking to avoid their first six-game losing streak since 1980, but they’ll have to show vast improvements from last week, when Hawkins counted four dozen costly bloopers when he watched the game.

“We have to forget about last week and bury it,” Colorado quarterback James Cox said. “This week is obviously a great rivalry game. People are excited, players are excited and it’s going to be an exciting week.”

It’s already been a bit too exciting up in Fort Collins for the Rams’ taste.

“It doesn’t make us look good,” coach Sonny Lubick said of the arrests of three members of his team along with two former players. “We have for 13 or 14 years been pretty darn solid here, as solid and as good as any program in America.”

But now one that sports a black eye nonetheless.

Lubick suspended the three players, including Robert Herbert, a senior cornerback who lost his starting job to sophomore Joey Rucks this season and had four tackles last week. The other two are redshirt freshmen: defensive back Micah Crews and defensive lineman Brian Abata, neither of whom played last week.

Lubick said the arrests, while disconcerting, are “no distraction whatsoever.”

The two freshmen weren’t starters and neither was Herbert.