Enough about the last time Colorado played a I-AA team.

Dan Hawkins' Buffs no doubt remember the past, but they'll be better off concentrating on the present today when Eastern Washington visits Folsom Field.

Nobody in, around or near the Dal Ward Center is underestimating the visitors. Fact is, Eastern Washington likely has as many quality players as Colorado State, CU's foe last weekend.

These days, the difference between upper-level FCS teams (I-AA) and lower-tier D-I teams is minimal. The pool of good players from around the nation gets larger every year, the development of those players continues to improve and parity becomes more and more of a reality every week.

That being said, the Buffs don't need a close game today. Consider this their last tuneup before they hit what might be one of the toughest stretches in recent Buff history: West Virginia, Florida State and Texas.

CU's past seasons are peppered with rugged three-game sets. As recently as 2002, CU played Southern Cal, UCLA and Kansas State -- all ranked teams -- in succession.

But in terms of marquee value, we'll go back to 1994, when Bill McCartney's final team took on Wisconsin (No. 10), Michigan (No. 4) and Texas (No. 16) in a three-week period. Each a memorable game in a very memorable season.

All of which brings us back to today's matchup with Eastern Washington. The Buffs must take the Eagles seriously -- and take care of business in the process.

That means reducing some of the silly mistakes that kept CU's 38-17 opening win over Colorado State from being even more of a rout.

For starters, the Buffs need to eliminate their unforced errors. That would include unnecessary penalties (false starts and personal fouls) and turnovers. The Buffs handed the ball to the Rams twice in the opener, and both were more the result of CU carelessness rather than CSU great plays. At the same time, CU killed a handful of drives with silly penalties, the kind that drive coaches crazy.

The good news is that down the stretch a week ago, CU'soffense began to establish a rhythm. The Buffs pounded away with a running game in the fourth quarter, and kept the Rams honest with their passing game. CU coach Dan Hawkins admitted earlier in the week that he would have liked to have slowed the tempo just a bit in the final quarter -- but when his offense began hitting on all cylinders, he became hesitant to pull in the reins.

Today, the Buffs need to establish that offensive rhythm much earlier and maintain it for 60 minutes.

Defensively, today's game should be a great test for CU's secondary. The Eagles threw 61 passes last week in a loss to Texas Tech, meaning CU's corners will have to be on their toes all game long.

It's the kind of game that should provide some good experience for a team that will see plenty more spread offenses as the season progresses.

Other things we'd like to see include more of freshman running backs Darrell Scott and Rodney Stewart, fewer problems on the snap between center Daniel Sanders and quarterback Cody Hawkins, and no more breakdowns on the kick return team.

But most off all, the Buffs need a clean, crisp performance, the kind that will set the stage for the ensuing three games.

Today's game is one that still has a margin for error.

The next three games, such a luxury won't be available.