It was one more indelicate phrase at the end of a week with too many, but at least he had a point. He looked like a hostage in a proof of life video while mumbling “no matter how bitter the rivalry”. Adams State, which play in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, open their 2017 season on 2 September against South Dakota’s Black Hills State University. Lucrative TV deals made with Turner Sports’ TNT and Disney’s ESPN may not have been possible without.