Now that all the posturing is done, it's time for No. 17 Colorado and 24th-ranked Fresno State to snap on the chin straps and go at each other in the Aloha Bowl.
Both coaches, Bill McCartney of Colorado and Fresno State's Jim Sweeney, pronounced their teams fit on Friday for the Christmas Day contest."The mood of the team is good," McCartney told a final media briefing. "They're eager to get it on."
Sweeney said, "Practices have gone well for us. Two days ago, we weren't at practice-pace, but that was because of the humidity. We perked up yesterday at Aloha Stadium (where the game will be played) because it wasn't as hot and humid."
Fresno State was hit by a mild flu bug at midweek, with quarterback Trent Dilfer among those affected, but Sweeney said the players had shaken it off as game-time approached.
McCartney said, "I looked at Dilfer last night and he didn't look like he had the flu."
McCartney said one of his players, starting nose tackle Kerry Hicks, had a temperature of 102 degrees Thursday night, but was hopeful of playing.
"The Big 8 has something at stake here," the Colorado coach said. "We're not a conference that's done well out of conference. I think it's important that we win. In fact, I'd like to see the Big 8 go 4-0 (in bowl games) this year."
A win would also "take the heat off of me on my bowl record (1-6)."
Sweeney said his approach was not so much representing the Western Athletic Conference, but developing credibility for the Fresno State program.
"A win would be great for us," he said. "Colorado is a great team that could have been in the Top 5 had it sustained its momentum."
The key to the Bulldog's game will be to keep the Colorado offense off the field, Sweeney said.
"If they keep our offense off the field, they will have established the first premise of football - play your strength against your opponent's weakness.
"I know they're not going to give us the big plays. We're going to have to earn them."
Kick-off at Aloha Stadium is set for 10:45 a.m. HST (3:45 p.m. EST) with ABC-TV telecasting the game.