Colorado State football to play Arizona in 2027-28

Steps continue to be taken in Fort Collins as Colorado State ramps up its football program. It was announced Thursday that CSU and Arizona agreed to a home-and-home series that begins in 2027.

The Rams host the Wildcats on Sep. 4 of that season and travel to Tuscon on Sep. 2, 2028. The teams have yet to meet since a 23rd-ranked CSU knocked off 6th-ranked Arizona in 1994. That game proved to be a difference-maker in what remains the best season in school history as the Rams finished 10-2 and with a final AP ranking of 16th.

Head coach Mike Bobo and athletic director Joe Parker are looking to build traction as a football program and university when the team moves into a new on-campus football stadium later this summer. As of now, CSU has 17 games scheduled against opponents in Power 5 conferences between 2017 and 2028. The total includes seven against SEC foes, six against the Pac-12 and four against the Big 12.

“We will continue to challenge ourselves by taking a very aggressive approach to scheduling our future opponents,” said Bobo in a press release. “It’s not only important that we schedule these programs, but it’s important that we also get them here in Fort Collins. Playing football on campus is going to be a special experience for our fans and the teams.”

Parker echoed his football coach and the impact the stadium has in future scheduling.

“Our attention to Power 5 home-and-home arrangements is important for us and for our fans as we leverage the engagement asset that the new on-campus stadium provides,” said Parker in the same release. “The fact that we are finding schools in that cohort group who are willing to commit to home-and-home series is another strong example of the benefits we are already seeing from the on-campus stadium. Power 5 opponents in Fort Collins make the on-campus gameday experience that much more impactful.”

In his first two seasons at the helm for CSU, Bobo owns an 0-4 record against Power 5 opponents, with a pair of losses coming to both Colorado and Minnesota.

Future CSU Non-Conference Football Schedules

2017
Sept. 2—vs. Colorado (in Denver)
Sept. 9—ABILENE CHRISTIAN
Sept. 16—at Alabama
Sept. 23—OREGON STATE

2018
Sept. 1—vs. Colorado (in Denver)
Sept. 15—at Florida

2019
Aug. 31—vs. Colorado (in Denver)
Sept. 14—at Arkansas
Sept. 21—TOLEDO

2020
Sept. 5—COLORADO
Sept. 12—at Oregon State
Sept. 26—at Vanderbilt

2021
Sept. 11—VANDERBILT
Sept. 25—at Toledo

2025
Sept. 6—TEXAS TECH
Sept. 27—at Vanderbilt

2026
Sept. 12—at Texas Tech
Sept. 26—VANDERBILT

2027
Sept. 4—ARIZONA

2028
Sept. 2—at Arizona