The Ralphie Report sat down with the great Oregon State blog on SBNation, Building The Dam, to discuss tonight's game in Boulder. Thanks to Andy for the answers.

You can check out Parker's answers to their questions here.

Give us the recap of the Oregon State season so far. They seemed to start fast and then hit a bit of a wall, but they got a huge win over the Ducks last week. Are fans happy with the performance to date?

The Beavers got off to a fast start, though some of that was at least partially a product of a relatively soft non-conference schedule. However, they hadn't been able to handle such a schedule in the past, so it wasn't a bad choice. However, they are a young team, sometimes prone to slow starts, which got them beat in the conference openers in the state of Washington.

There were also issues with defending outside shooters if teams would make 2-3 passes, and once better competition in the conference came along, it caught up with them a little. The Beavers missed multiple chances to win the 4 overtime game against Stanford, and then again in overtime at Arizona the next game out.

Fans are a little frustrated with some of the mistakes the team has made, as much as the losses, but most recognize that the team is still going through some learning moments. A good finish will mean a season most Beaver fans will consider a success.

Is Jared Cunningham the biggest scoring threat on this Beaver team? Who else do the Buffs need to watch out for on Thursday?

Cunningham is without a doubt Oregon St.'s best threat, both offensively and defensively, and leads the Pac-12 in scoring. Devon Collier has emerged as the Beavers' best front-court scoring threat, and leads the conference in fg%. Point guard Ahmad Starks is a streak shooter, and is second on the team, just ahead of Collier, in points scored. If Starks gets hot, he can really light it up with 3 pointers. However, he can go really cold from outside as well.

Eric Moreland isn't usually a major scorer, but he leads the conference in blocked shots, and is 5th in the Pac-12 in rebounding. He has a 7'5" wing span, and can get to balls you wouldn't think he has any chance to get a finger on.

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I asked each of our football writers to help us recap the Colorado Buffaloes 2012 recruiting class last night to begin our breakdown of the new Buffs.

Feel free to throw your answers to the same questions into the comments below.

1) Do you agree with this staffs admitted philosophy of focusing on Colorado, California, and Texas?

Bob: Seems logical to me as that is where most of the coaches have roots and where the best players are (California and Texas that is). That being said, this class certainly isn't just centralized to those three states when you look at the talent brought in from the East coast especially the three players from DC and Yuri Wright from New Jersey. I think the coaches understand that they should focus in certain states and start pipelines in schools outside of California and Texas with continual talent like Don Bosco H.S. (NJ) and Woodson H.S.(DC).

Ash: Yes, yes, yes; all day long these three should be our recruiting home. Colorado for obvious proximity reasons; CA & TX for populational reasons. Any talent that the state of CO fails to generate will be found in Cali and Texas. We ignore them at our peril.

David: Absolutely! It's important for every program to lock up their in-state talent, and California and Texas are two of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the nation. If our staff isn't hitting TX and CA hard, we can't be successful.

Jon: I certainly think a large percentage of this staff's time should focus on those three states and there is only so much time that each coach can spend in multiple places while still being effective. But the DC3 this year showed that we can be successful anywhere, especially if the wins start coming. It would be nice to get back into Ohio some more and Pennsylvania seems ripe for the picking right now.

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We have plenty more signing day coverage coming your way, but I wanted to take a quick moment and highlight the good news that came today on the basketball front. The University of Colorado Board of Regents today approved contract extensions for the men's and women's basketball coaches Tad Boyle and Linda Lappe. The extensions will keep them on the University's books until April 30, 2016 (and hopefully much longer) and have plenty of bonuses and escalators for success on and off the court. So far, both hires have fantastic and have helped both programs on an upward trajectory in the Pac-12.

CU is proposing that Boyle earn a 3 percent merit raise, increasing his base salary to $165,830. His compensation package is unchanged and amounts to nearly $429,000, which includes, for example, $180,000 for radio, television and public apperances.

Beginning in 2013, Boyle can also earn up to $200,000 annually for incentive compensation, which includes benchmarks such as academic progress for student-athletes. In 2012, his annual incentive compensation can amount to $100,000.

The new agreement also increases performance incentives, with a sliding scale of bonuses for winning records and making it to post-season tournaments. For example, if the team wins 21 regular season games, Boyle will get a bonus of $30,000, which is up from his previous contract that offered $10,000. If he's named "Conference Coach of the Year," he can earn $30,000, up from $10,000. A Buffs' NCAA Championship would net him $750,000, up from his previous incentive of $250,000.

Roll Tad and eh, go Linda (guess we need a nickname there too). A great day for the University of Colorado continues.

Well here we go! It's signing day and that means it's time to stare at the fax machine and hope that all of our signatures get in on time. This is the open thread part 2. Almost all of the signatures are in. Just waiting on Tyler Henington and Gerrad Kough.The other potential prospect that the Buffs are looking at, Louisiana athlete Jontrey Tillman won't likely be deciding today.

What does everyone think of this year's class?

2:37 p.m. - Barring any surprises, Gerrad Kough gives the Buffaloes their final letter.

11:35 a.m. - Colorado's own Tyler Henington is in! Only one more to go.

11:30 a.m. - Ewa Beach, Hawaii defensive lineman Kory Rasmussen is in. Only two more to go!

Colorado Buffaloes Recruiting: Signing Day Live Blog

10:26 a.m. - Marques Mosley completes the Upland, California trio.

10:20 a.m. - With Donta Abron faxing in his LOI, the running back position is now complete.

10:00 a.m. - Perris, California running back Davien Payne is in.

9:45 a.m. - Chandler, Arizona defensive lineman Kisima Jagne is officially a Buff!

9:00 a.m. - The DC three have sent in their letters! Kenneth Crawley, John Walker, and De'Jon Wilson are Buffaloes.Christian Powell was not deterred. His letter has also been received.

8:32 a.m. - Westlake, California defensive linemen Justin Solis and John Stuart are in.

Colorado Buffaloes Recruiting: Closing In On Signing Day

8:20 a.m. - Defensive lineman Samson Kafovalu and Josh Tupou are both in. Colony, Texas wide receiver Gerald Thomas is in.

8:12 a.m. - Elite 11 quarterback Shane Dillon is in! Welcome Shane.

7:57 a.m. - Two more signatures are in. Texas tight end Vincent Hobbs, a late verbal that came in on Sunday, and Louisiana defensive back Jeffrey Hall, who also verbaled on Sunday. Duncanville, Texas wide receiver Jeff Thomas has also faxed in his LOI.

7:31 a.m. - Welcome Buff fans to National Signing Day. We will keep you updated on all of the happenings today. Currently Colorado has fifteen known verbal commitments with a potential of one more we will be watching today. We'll update you all day long as the National Letters of Intent find their way to the CU fax machine. So far, these 7 guys are already Buffs:

3* Colorado FB Clay Norgard
4* New Jersey DB Yuri Wright
3* Texas TE Sean Irwin
3* Texas OL Jeromy Irwin
2* Texas RB Terrence Crowder
3* Texas WR Peyton Williams
3* Missouri TE Austin Ray

A list of all known verbal commitments after the jump...

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The University of Colorado has just announced that the 2012 Rocky Mountain Showdown has been moved to Sunday, September 2. The game will once again take at Sports Authority Field. Jon Embree will be looking for his second win in the series after beating the Rams 28-14 in 2011. The Buffaloes have won two straight in the series after falling to CSU 23-17 in 2009.

The Cinch Jeans Rocky Mountain Showdown at Sports Authority Field has been moved to Sunday, September 2. Kickoff time TBA. #gobuffs

— Colorado Buffaloes (@cubuffs) February 1, 2012

I, personally, like the move. It means a likely national television audience without a lot of competition from other college games or the NFL. Heck, it even means one more day of practice for the Buffs new starting quarterback. What does everyone else think?

Well here we go! It's signing day and that means it's time to stare at the fax machine and hope that all of our signatures get in on time. Really only one uncommitted guy to keep an eye on today and that's California linebacker Seth Jacobs, who will announce his decision at 7:30 p.m. tonight and is choosing between Colorado, Oklahoma State and Arkansas. The other potential prospect that the Buffs are looking at, Louisiana athlete Jontrey Tillman won't likely be deciding today.

Colorado Buffaloes Recruiting: Closing In On Signing Day

10:26 a.m. - Marques Mosley completes the Upland, California trio.

10:20 a.m. - With Donta Abron faxing in his LOI, the running back position is now complete.

10:00 a.m. - Perris, California running back Davien Payne is in.

9:45 a.m. - Chandler, Arizona defensive lineman Kisima Jagne is officially a Buff!

9:00 a.m. - The DC three have sent in their letters! Kenneth Crawley, John Walker, and De'Jon Wilson are Buffaloes. Christian Powell was not deterred. His letter has also been received.

8:32 a.m. - Westlake, California defensive linemen Justin Solis and John Stuart are in.

8:20 a.m. - Defensive lineman Samson Kafovalu and Josh Tupou are both in. Colony, Texas wide receiver Gerald Thomas is in.

8:12 a.m. - Elite 11 quarterback Shane Dillon is in! Welcome Shane.

7:57 a.m. - Two more signatures are in. Texas tight end Vincent Hobbs, a late verbal that came in on Sunday, and Louisiana defensive back Jeffrey Hall, who also verbaled on Sunday. Duncanville, Texas wide receiver Jeff Thomas has also faxed in his LOI.

7:31 a.m. - Welcome Buff fans to National Signing Day. We will keep you updated on all of the happenings today. Currently Colorado has fifteen known verbal commitments with a potential of one more we will be watching today. We'll update you all day long as the National Letters of Intent find their way to the CU fax machine. So far, these 7 guys are already Buffs:

3* Colorado FB Clay Norgard
4* New Jersey DB Yuri Wright
3* Texas TE Sean Irwin
3* Texas OL Jeromy Irwin
2* Texas RB Terrence Crowder
3* Texas WR Peyton Williams
3* Missouri TE Austin Ray

A list of all known verbal commitments after the jump...

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Taking a quick break from signing day, a source has confirmed to Buffzone that women's lacrosse will be the next sport added to the University of Colorado. We had guessed as much back in January when Mike Bohn first announced that the school would be adding a women's team, but this is the first confirmation that we have seen. Some interesting stuff in the story, so go over and check it out.

Earlier this month Bohn said that girls lacrosse is the fastest growing sport at the high school level in Colorado and much of the rest of the nation and that it would make sense for many reasons for CU to add women's lacrosse. Bohn said at that time the department is targeting the 2013-14 school year for the new women's program to begin competing. He said it could compete as a club sport prior to that.

Startup costs for the program will be relatively minimal with no new facilities required.Women's lacrosse is played in the spring and the CU team would play in Folsom Field and likely use the practice bubble and the same outdoor practice fields utilized by the football team.

The program will compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in the sport because the Pac-12 Conference does not sponsor women's lacrosse. That could change in the future because CU will be the fifth Pac-12 school to field a women's lacrosse program along with Stanford, Cal, Oregon and USC.

The University of Denver also competes in the MPSF and DU coach Liza Kelly said she was thrilled when she heard Colorado was considering adding the sport.

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Jon Embree and his staff are getting closer and closer to their second (and first full) recruiting class in Boulder. This years class has been nothing if consistent, with Tyler Henington pledging his college years to Colorado all the way back in March of last year and commitments coming nearly each month (outside of a slight slump in September and October) up until signing day tomorrow.

The two highest ranked commits in the class, cornerbacks Yuri Wright and Kenneth Crawley, both came aboard last week and were pretty big surprises to the outside recruiting community. The shift to a pro-style offense continues, with four running backs, two fullbacks (one of whom committed while I was writing this story and one who is already on campus), and three tight ends joining the team.

Most of the signing day intrigue for Buffs fans will come from the National Letters of Intent being faxed in from each of the current verbal commits. Colorado is nearing it's scholarship limit and may not have room for any more than one additional signature (if that) without heading into dangerous oversigning territory, which we would prefer to avoid.

The players that Embree would still accept signatures from are Seth Jacobs, the California linebacker prospect, and Jontrey Tillman, a Louisiana athlete who had formerly been committed to Stanford but recently found out that he would not be able to qualify.

Much more and and a list of current commits after the jump...

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