Colorado College

Football fever has swept across the University of Colorado campus. The Orange Bowl is only 2 1/2 weeks away and locals can't wait until the No. 1-ranked Buffaloes play Notre Dame for a chance to win the national championship. Maybe that's why only 2,234 watched Colorado play UC Irvine Wednesday in the 11,199-seat Events Center. Then again, maybe the folks in Boulder have seen Irvine play this season.

Cal State Northridge will bid for a school-record third consecutive shutout when it travels to Rohnert Park, Calif., on Saturday to play a nonconference football game against Sonoma State. If the Matadors blank the Cossacks it also would equal the record for shutouts in a season, accomplished by the 1977 CSUN squad coached by Jack Elway. In Elway's three seasons as coach, from 1975-77, Northridge had five shutouts. In 24 games, Coach Bob Burt's teams have equaled that total.

Ronnie Lopez made an inauspicious debut at quarterback in Pierce College's 20-7 opening-night loss to East L.A. College last Saturday. Lopez, who led Franklin High to the City Section 3-A Division championship last year, completed 12 of 29 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. He also threw two passes that were intercepted. Lopez had just 6 passes intercepted in 202 attempts last season. Lopez said a thumb injury on his throwing hand in the first half of Saturday's game affected his play.

Barbara Anderson had 22 points and 6 rebounds to lead the University of Houston to an 84-80 victory over San Diego State Thursday in the first round of the Coors women's basketball tournament at Boulder, Colo. SDSU's Jessica Haynes aggravated a hyperextended knee injury and is expected to be out until the Northridge game Tuesday. Chana Perry scored 20 points and had 9 rebounds for the Aztecs (2-2).