Key matchups for 2A North league openers leads top Week 6 Northern Colorado football games

The comedown after the Canvas Classic and Rivalry Week in Northern Colorado high school football is part breather, part full-speed ahead.

Several NoCo and Fort Collins-area teams (Windsor, Timnath and Poudre among them) are off this week on a bye as conference play arrives for some teams.

Here's how the Week 6 action looks, including the top Fort Collins-area and regional games to watch:

Fort Collins-area football Week 6 schedule (Oct. 2-4)

• Brighton at Rocky Mountain (Oct. 3, 6:30 p.m. at French Field)
• Legacy at Fossil Ridge (Oct. 3, 7 p.m. at PSD Stadium)
• Fort Collins at Horizon (Oct. 3, 7 p.m. at North Stadium)

Where they stand: Week 6 Colorado high school football rankings

Local Game of the Week: Berthoud at 2A No. 7 Wellington

This game has been circled for Wellington, and not just because the Spartans are 2-0 against the Eagles.

It's the conference opener. While Wellington made it all the way to the state title game last season, it didn't win the 2A North league last season. Make no mistake, that's among the big goals this fall.

The Eagles (4-0) finally allowed points last week for the first time this season but bullied past their Boxelder Cup rival Timnath in the Canvas Classic. Meanwhile, Berthoud is 2-2, but the wins have been dominant and the losses competitive against strong 3A competition.

This is a great way to start the conference slate up north.

NoCo Game of the Week: 2A No. 9 University at 2A No. 6 Eaton

Same conference, similar stakes to Berthoud-Wellington.

These top-10 2A league foes meet in an early-October clash for a leg up in the conference pecking order.

Eaton (3-1) has been one of Colorado's hottest teams since an opening loss to defending champ The Classical Academy. University (3-1) survived a road test at Rifle last week but will have to get up for another tall away task this week.

We'll find out a lot about this powerhouse 2A North conference in this first week of league play.

Week 6 Northern Colorado high school schedule (Oct. 2-4)

• Lyons at Front Range Christian (Oct. 3, 4 p.m.)
• 5A No. 9 Erie at Rangeview (Oct. 3, 6:30 p.m.)
• Centaurus at 4A No. 7 Cheyenne Mountain (Oct. 3, 6:30 p.m)
• Fort Lupton at Weld Central (Oct. 3, 7 p.m.)
• Longmont at 4A No. 6 Broomfield (Oct. 3, 7 p.m.)
• Skyline at 4A No. 9 Riverdale Ridge (Oct. 3, 7 p.m.)
• Loveland at Frederick (Oct. 3, 7 p.m.)
• 3A No. 10 Holy Family at 3A No. 1 Mead (Oct. 3, 7 p.m.)
• Silver Creek at Greeley West (Oct. 3, 7 p.m.)
• Resurrection Christian at Valley (Oct. 3, 7 p.m.)
• Platte Valley at Estes Park (Oct. 3, 7 p.m.)
• 1A No. 9 Highland at 1A No. 7 Manual (Oct. 4, 11 a.m.)

Chris Abshire covers high school and community sports for the Coloradoan.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado high school football games in Northern Colorado this week