University of Colorado Boulder fans celebrate during the Rocky Mountain Showdown game against Colorado State University at Folsom Field in Boulder Sept. 16. CU won 43-35. (Collegian/Milo Gladstein)
Editor’s note: This story was cross-published on the Rocky Mountain Collegian’s website, as well as in a special collaborative print edition with the Rocky Mountain Collegian in honor of the 2024 Rocky Mountain Showdown.
Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.
There’s no way around it: Colorado State football has been the little brother to that team down south for a long time now.
CSU hasn’t beaten Colorado in eight years and stands 22-65-2 all-time against the Buffs.
After a soul-crushing overtime loss last year, which was preluded by press conference shots and prologued by death threats, CSU has to be raring to go.
This will finally be the year CSU grows up and takes care of business in Canvas Stadium.
Saturday, Sept. 14, will be first time the Rocky Mountain Showdown is hosted at Canvas, and it will also be the first game back on CSU’s campus since 1996, marking a chance for a clean start.
Canvas boasts an 0-0 record in games featuring the Rams and the Buffs, giving this weekend a fresh feel not marred by an unfavorable record.
As a result, the vibes won’t just catapult in the Rams’ favor. CSU is coming off of a 38-17 win over Northern Colorado, a night in which legend Lt. Col. John Mosley was honored, bringing pride to Canvas, which is something I think will carry over.
On the other side, CU is coming off an embarrassing 28-10 loss to Nebraska, only adding to the heaping laundry list of disappointment Deion Sanders has been at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.
CU doesn’t lack pizazz by any means; however, when you look at the culture Sanders has built, you see a house of cards ready to topple with another disappointing season on the horizon.
Flipping the page back to the green and gold, we have a coach in Jay Norvell who has not only had success at the FBS level but also exhibits concrete evidence in the culture he continues to build.
Tory Horton returned to CSU when he could have gone pro, and Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi turned down six-figure name, image and likeness deals to come back. Colorado State is a team full of players who have more pride for the school on the front of their jerseys than the name on the back. I’m not sure the same can be said for the other team, which seems to be more concerned with celebrity status.
Games are often won in the trenches, something the CU offensive line knows nothing about. The Buffs gave up the second-most sacks last season and are right back toward the top of the FBS again this year in sacks given up. The Rams clearly has a leg up in that part of the game — it’s not really close.
During the game against UNC, we saw a dynamic duo in Justin Marshall and Keegan Holles out of the back field. Those two will have to come up big this weekend against a defense that has been ran through. Both Nebraska and North Dakota State ran for more than 160 yards against CU.
If CSU can get things going on the ground, things will open up above and the air raid-style offense Norvell wants to play could light some fireworks. Although, it won’t be the offense that will win CSU the game — it will have to be the defense.
Although the Rams defense has had a less-than-desirable start, I think this is the week they get things going. Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are projected top-10 picks for a reason — they’re really skilled and can tear up defenses on any given week.
However, sometimes it feels like Shedeur Sanders is disconnected. He left the Nebraska game early — something not exactly indicative of someone who might promote locker room chemistry, especially as CU begins to rack up losses.
One other thing that could play a factor is the lack of homegrown talent on CU’s roster. The Buffs boast a woeful 14 total players from the state of Colorado compared to the Rams’ 29 — more than double the players who grew up watching the RMS and know the history.
The Rams are ready for revenge, and I believe this is the year they will grill the Buffs on the gridiron.
Contact Collegian sports editor Damon Cook at sports@collegian.com
