Just two weeks ago, senior goalkeeper Colin McCune had played a total of seven minutes, 45 seconds in three years with the Washington University men’s soccer team. Now he’s starting in goal for the undefeated Bears.

For the 30th year in a row, football is America’s most popular sport, and it’s not even close. In fact, it has been America’s most popular sport ever since the Harris Poll started asking people in 1985, with more than twice as many survey respondents saying they preferred the NFL to baseball, our supposed national pastime.

Defensively oriented. Offensively risk-taking. Young and learning. Older and experienced. Maybe a bit unlucky. And sometimes maybe even a bit lucky.

Hoping to build off of its success last week against Kenyon College, the Washington University football team went into Saturday’s game hungry and determined to defeat DePauw University.

En route to sharing its first University Athletic Association championship since 1999 and first postseason win since 2007, the 2011 Washington University men’s soccer team scored 40 goals. Of those 40 goals, just three of them were scored by players who will be in the lineup for Friday night’s season opener in Birmingham, Ala.

The Washington University men’s basketball team is now entering its first season since 2008 in which it is not the defending national champion. Four of last year’s starters, including All-Americans Sean Wallis and Aaron Thompson, are gone, and only one starter, senior Spencer Gay, is returning.

Working behind the scenes, the Washington University athletics training staff has been vital to the success of the athletic program. Staffed by three certified trainers and one intern, the training staff is also comprised of 10 undergraduates from Wash. U. and four St. Louis University graduate students.