That means the once-beleaguered Catzz are suddenly in contention for a spot in the inaugural PIFL playoffs, which begin in August and include the top four teams in the league. The Wildcats defeated the Catzz twice this season, in a bizarre doubleheader that saw the two teams complete the final nine seconds of a suspended game and then play a regularly scheduled contest.
With Colorado's withdrawal, the Catzz and Hurricanes have climbed into a fourth-place tie in the six-team league with identical 4-6 records. They stand two games out of third place, which belongs to the 6-4 Madison Mad Dogs.
The Hurricanes have already won this week by forfeit because Texas Bullets are unable to travel to Honolulu for financial reasons. PIFL officials suspended the Bullets, and they have until July 10 to sell the team or find other sources of capital.
So Utah's home game Saturday at 2 p.m. against the Green Bay Bombers becomes a matchup with playoff implications. The Catzz are hoping the offensive fireworks they displayed against Honolulu carries over against the Bombers.
"We hold our destiny in our own hands," said quarterback Joe Borich. "We want to go to the playoffs and we're going to play with a lot of emotion and a lot of intensity."
The game will mark the Catzz's home finale of 1998 and most likely their finale, period, in Utah County and the McKay Event Center.
Catzz owner Michael Curran knows his franchise deserves some good fortune. "Fate has dealt us a bad hand with injuries," Curran said. "I felt we were a championship team at the beginning of the year. Maybe Lady Luck is feeling compassion for us. We don't just want to finish the season, we want to go to the playoffs and win the championship."
Indeed, injuries have been so prevalent this season for the Catzz, the team photo should be a CAT scan. Ten starters have gone down at one point or another. But finally, Curran believes everything is coming together. "The guys can see the finish line," he said. "They're hungry."
Borich played the entire game against Honolulu, while one-time starter Paul Shoemaker languished on the bench, and the former Memphis QB responded, throwing for three touchdowns.
Receiver Pokey Eckford, meanwhile, scored four touchdowns and was the PIFL offensive player of the week.
While the Catzz are coming off their second-highest offensive output of the season, Green Bay is coming off a season-low, 22-point outing last week in a loss to league-leading Louisiana.
Utah lost 47-37 at Green Bay on June 6.
After Saturday's game, the Catzz close the regular season with three road contests: at Texas, Honolulu and Madison.
Though it helps his club in the standings, Curran expressed dismay that Colorado wasn't able to complete the season. The Wildcats had been looking for investors for months, but parties on both sides were not able to reach an agreement.
"It is extremely frustrating for us not to be able to finish the season," said Colorado general manager James Atterberry. "We arguably had the best team in the league, and I am sorry that we will not be able to bring Denver its second football championship this year."
The franchise will return to the PIFL in 1999 after it relocates to Colorado Springs.