That`s the message first-year Army coach Rich Ellerson tried to convey to the Black Knights, who face the Falcons on Saturday.

Sure, the crowd will be noisy -- always is for a Commander-in-Chief`s Trophy contest. And yes, Air Force, at close to 6,700 feet, is quite a bit higher in elevation than West Point, N.Y.

But those are simply obstacles out of Army`s control.

"None of those are the challenge," Ellerson said. "The challenge is Air Force`s football team, and that`s where our focus is. Any of those other things are just a distraction and we are not going to spend 30 seconds on those things."

Instead, the Black Knights (3-5) spent their bye week revisiting the basics and breaking down film of the Falcons (5-4, 4-2 Mountain West).

Not that there`s much to examine. These two teams know each other quite well, meeting for the 44th time.

They run a similar style of offense and have a healthy dose of respect for one another.

"I`ve never been involved in football games that are more intense than service academy games," Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. "More than anything else, because of the regard and respect you have for each other ... Ultimately, there`s a pretty decent chance that there are guys on our sideline that are going to be paired with guys on their sideline in another area of the world at some point in the future."

Ellerson is looking forward to his first taste of a service academy game as the coach of Army.

"It`s the spice to the meal, if you will," said Ellerson, who took over the team last December. "We have a great deal of respect for this coaching staff and for those players individually and collectively as a program. They have chosen a path similar to our own and we have great respect for that."

CSU aims to end skid

After starting the season 3-0, Colorado State looked like a good bet to land a bowl berth.

But after six consecutive losses, the Rams (3-6 overall, 0-5 Mountain West) must now win their last three -- beginning with today`s game at Nevada-Las Vegas (3-6, 1-4) -- to become bowl eligible.

Earlier this week, CSU coach Steve Fairchild stressed that "there is no finger-pointing" going on with the Rams -- and a couple of days later, he "reassigned" offensive coordinator Greg Peterson to full-time recruiting duties.

The good news this week is that the Rams have never lost in Las Vegas, posting a 6-0-1 record there against the Rebels. Even better, the last time the Rams had a six-game losing streak was 2007 -- and they ended that skid with a win over UNLV.

CSU has won six in a row over UNLV.

"I`m starving for a win to be honest with you," Fairchild said at his weekly press conference. "I`ve been sitting here for six weeks doing TV, radio and press conferences; I would like to walk in, in a good mood."