DENVER — The 2022 season is still more than three months away but it is never too early to start looking at the schedule. 

The Rams play two power five opponents this season and a total of eight teams that qualified for the postseason last year. CSU’s opponents include the 2021 Big Ten champions (Michigan) and the Mountain West champions (Utah State) as well. 

After traveling to Hawaii, New Mexico, Utah State and Wyoming, and finishing 1-3 against the aforementioned last season, the Rams will now host the Warriors, Lobos, Aggies and Cowboys this fall. Conversely, after hosting Boise State, San Jose State, Air Force and Nevada in 2021 and going 1-3 as well, the Rams will travel to play the Broncos, Spartans, Falcons and Wolf Pack in 2022. 

Here’s a dive into the slate in the 2022 schedule as a whole. 

Michigan (Away) | September 3 

Colorado State does not have the benefit of opening against a pushover. Instead the Rams will kick off the 2022 campaign against the Michigan Wolverines in front of more than 100,000 people at the Big House. 

Only the second time these teams will have ever played — the first was the 1994 Holiday Bowl, a 24-14 victory for the Wolverines — the 2022 opener obviously provides unique challenges. 

For one thing, there are very few atmospheres in the FBS that compare to Michigan Stadium, it’s the biggest football cathedral in the country, and that includes the NFL. And just when you wrap your head around the intimidating environment, the reality of facing a team that participated in the 2022 CFB Playoff sets in.

As daunting as facing off with Jim Harbaugh’s squad is, particularly as a first-year program, the matchup is equally as exciting for a young Rams team that has been completely revamped on both sides of the ball.  

CSU will have to deal with an experienced Michigan defensive line that even after losing a couple of top NFL Draft picks is still littered with upperclassmen and formerly highly touted recruits. Not to mention the Wolverines signed a top 10 recruiting class in the country according to 247Sports (No. 9). 

Of course, the silver lining of the situation is that after facing a team as talented as the Wolverines on their own turf, the rest of the slate doesn’t look quite as scary. We’ll see if the 2022 Rams can benefit from competing with a powerhouse football team like past CSU teams have after showing well against No. 1 Alabama in both 2013 and 2017. 

Middle Tennessee State (Home) | September 10

While Middle Tennessee does not move the needle, with a trip to Big 10 country already under their belts and a game at Washington State still looming, the home games in the non-conference slate provide important chances to secure crucial wins early. The thing is, MTSU is not exactly a cupcake. 

In 2021 the Blue Raiders started slow, losing four of six in the first half of the season. But after stumbling out of the gate, MTSU responded by winning five of the final seven, including the Bahamas Bowl versus Toledo. 

It will be interesting to see who is under center for MTSU this fall. Chase Cunningham is back for his senior season after missing half of his junior year with a knee injury. However, it would not be surprising if it’s the sophomore Nicholas Vattatio running the show, especially after successfully taking the reins as a true freshman. 

On defense MTSU should benefit from an experienced defensive line that returns all of its key pieces. One guy the Rams will really have to pay attention to is redshirt freshman defensive end Jordan Ferguson who racked up 16.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks and three forced fumbles in a breakout 2021 season.

Washington State (Away) | September 17 

When CSU played Washington State in the 2013 New Mexico Bowl, it produced one of the most memorable matchups of all-time. While it seems unlikely that the 2022 game will be as dramatic, it does present the opportunity for the Rams to steal a pac-12 win, which is always big for a school from the group of five. 

The Cougars are coming off of a wacky season in which their head coach Nick Rolovich, along with a substantial portion of the staff were dismissed for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. After riding out the storm and surviving the media circus caused by their former coaches, though, Washington State managed to salvage a 7-6 season under Jake Dickert. 

No longer the interim HC, Dickert will look to build off of the success his team found in conference play, but he will have to do so with a new gunslinger running the offense after last year’s starting quarterback Jayden De Laura transferred to the University of Arizona in the offseason. Washington State’s most productive skill player from the last couple of seasons, running back Max Borghi, is no longer there to lean on. Neither is wide receiver Travell Harris. 

Much like CSU, Washington State is currently a program in transition. They are a team trying to establish a new identity after a coaching hire that went wrong in just about every way imaginable. And many of the faces on the field this fall are going to be new. 

Sacramento State (Home) | September 24

For the second year in a row CSU will face a talented team out of the FCS and that’s always unnerving because unlike the Michigan matchup, all of the pressure will be on the Rams in this one.

While the Green & Gold should be expected to beat a team from a lower subdivision, coming off of a 9-3 season, Sacramento State is not a team that can be taken lightly. 

The Hornets went 5-1 on the road in 2021, with their only loss coming at the hands of Cal in a competitive game (42-30). They even went into Washington-Grizzly Stadium and beat Montana on their own turf — which is about as impressive of a road win as you can have at the FCS level. 

Now, it’s a new year, so there is no guarantee that the Hornets will be the same dangerous group. Considering many of the team’s leading offensive contributors returned, though, one would assume that a team that averaged 30 points per game on 467 yards of total offense last year should still be competent in 2022. 

Nevada (Away) | October 8

The schedule makers for the Mountain West knew what they were doing when they pitted Nevada against CSU in the conference opener. 

In what will undoubtedly be a hostile environment, Jay Norvell makes his return to Reno, NV. with a Rams team stacked full of former UNR players. 

When these teams played in 2021 wide receiver Tory Horton put on a show with four catches for 113 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Running back Avery Morrow had a career-high 88 rushing yards and a touchdown for UNR too. Both are now playing for the other side, though.

This sort of situation would have seemed impossible a decade ago but in the player movement era, all it takes is one domino falling to set off a chain reaction. In this instance it was Norvell being poached by CSU and taking his offensive staff with him. 

Leading UNR now is longtime Wolf Pack defensive assistant Ken Wilson. Wilson coached in Reno from 1989-1998 and again from 2004-2012. Although he never overlapped with Jay Norvell, he did spend six years at Washington State under Mike Leach, so he should actually have a strong idea of how to defend the Air Raid. This game is not about the Xs and Os, though, at least not going in. It’s about all of the juicy storylines. 

Utah State (Home) | October 15 

Nobody expected the Aggies to win the MWC under Blake Anderson in his first year as head coach but Utah State’s high-powered offense was able to propel them to the top in a weird year for the league. 

What’s going to be interesting to see is whether or not USU can replicate that offensive success now that wide receiver Devin Thompkins and their two other leading receivers from 2021 are all out of the picture. A big part of what made USU so dangerous last year was their deep passing game, so there are big shoes to fill for redshirt freshman wide out NyNy Davis and senior receiver Justin McGriff. 

The Aggies do bring back QB Logan Bonner and running back Calvin Tyler Jr. The wild card of the situation, though, is likely Levi Williams, who transferred over from Wyoming. The former Cowboys QB is 1-1 in two starts against CSU in his career but really played pretty well in both contests. Considering Anderson pulled Bonner for Andrew Peasley on multiple occasions last year, who on a side note is now playing at Wyoming, it would not be shocking if the Rams end up seeing Williams in this game. 

Hawaii (Home) | October 22

Timmy Chang expected to be coaching in Fort Collins this fall. The former Nevada wide receivers coach initially followed Norvell over to CSU and even helped the Rams sign part of their 2022 recruiting class. 

However, once Todd Graham was fired for losing control of the Hawaii football program, the opportunity for Chang to return home and be the head coach of the Warriors presented itself. And in a unique situation, Chang ended up leaving CSU, with essentially the entire country rooting for him to succeed, including Ram fans. 

While the Ram faithful in large do hope Chang is able to bring some stability back to his alma mater, on this day of course they will be rooting for him to come up short. What they definitely don’t want is a repeat of 2021 or 2018, when CSU allowed Hawaii to go off for 45 points and 43 points, respectively, in a pair of wins for the Warriors. 

Boise State (Away) | October 29 

CSU has faced Boise State 11 times in the MWC and so far the Rams remain winless. In order for that to change in 2022, CSU is going to have to limit a Boise State offense that returns quarterback Hank Bachmeier, running back George Holani and wide receiver Stefan Cobbs Sr. 

The Broncos looked much more mortal in 2021 than they previously have over the last decade or so, but they are still a program that recruits well. According to the rankings by 247Sports, even after a lackluster 7-5 year, Boise State signed the top ranked recruiting class in the MWC for the 2022 cycle. 

The big question at this point is how can head coach Andy Avalos take advantage of that talent in his second season running the show? Boise fans were relatively patient in year one but obviously the expectations are high after a quarter of a century’s worth of winning. With a veteran QB and a favorable schedule, this feels like a championship or bust-type year for the Broncos. 

San Jose State (Away) | November 5

San Jose State came back down to earth last season after a bit of a shocking run to the 2020 Mountain West Championship Game. 

Including a 32-14 loss to the Rams at Canvas Stadium and a narrow 27-24 loss to Norvell’s Wolf Pack, the Spartans finished a fortebable 2021 campaign with a 5-7 record. 

With a revamped offense that includes former Hawaii QB Chevan Cordeiro and one-time Nevada receivers Elijah Cooks and Justin Lockheart, the Spartans could be in position to contend once again, though, especially with who SJSU brings back on defense. 

Cade Hall (DL) and linebacker Kyle Harmon (LB) have been two of the more productive defensive players in the MWC for the last three seasons. Both are returning for one last run at the postseason.  

On paper the Spartans at least appear to be a team that should at least qualify for a bowl bid, so it would be surprising to see the Rams beat them by double digits for the fourth straight time. That said, it is likely going to be the most winnable road game on the slate, so a loss would be significant. 

Wyoming (Home) | November 12

Wyoming was decimated by transfers last winter, which caused head coach Craig Bohl to publicly admit he needs to establish better relationships with his players. 

With so much roster turnover, 20 transfers to be exact, the Cowboys are not going to be a team that anyone picks to win the league in the preseason. 

That said, while they may not be a popular pick this year, you’d still have to think this is a pivotal season for Craig Bohl’s standing with the Cowboy fans. Wyoming is just 45-50 since Bohl came to town in 2014 and while they do have an appearance in the title game, the Pokes have yet to win the conference under him. 

Bohl has already lost to a first-year CSU coach twice in his tenure, Mike Bobo (2015) and Steve Addazio (2020). Depending on how Wyoming’s season has gone up to this point, a Border War loss in 2022 could really raise the temperature of his seat. 

Conversely, bringing the Bronze Boot back home to Fort Collins is always going to be a priority for Ram Nation, and beating Wyoming would certainly go a long way with the CSU fans for Jay Norvell. 

Air Force (Away) | November 19 

On a year-to-year basis there are few teams that are tougher to project than Air Force due to the uniqueness of their program. Practices are completely closed and very little information gets out of Troy Calhoun’s camp, which is just how he likes it. The one thing you can guarantee with the Falcons, though, is that their triple-option offense is bound to be a headache to deal with. 

Air Force closed out 2021 with a four-game winning streak, including victories over CSU and a Jay Norvell-led Nevada team on their way to a 10-3 finish. Two of the team’s biggest contributors on offense, QB Haaziq Daniels and fullback Brad Roberts are both back this fall. 

Where the Falcons could potentially see a falloff is on defense. In 2021 Air Force had the 16th best scoring defense in the country at 19.8 points allowed per game. But after losing multiple starters to the NFL, including defensive lineman Jordan Jackson, we shall see if Calhoun’s group can replicate that same success again. 

New Mexico (Home) | November 26 

CSU has not lost to its longtime conference foe since 2009 and while no disrespect is intended towards the Lobos, that streak should not be expected to end anytime soon. 

Out of 130 FBS teams, UNM was dead last in points per game (12.2) last season. Five different times they were held to 7 or less points in defeat and that included a 36-7 thumping from the Rams. 

Odds are one of these years the Lobos are finally going to get even with the Rams after coming up short 11 straight times. But after getting outscored 106-117 over the final three weeks of 2021, it’s tough to feel much confidence about the program’s direction, and that is a shame because UNM appeared to be making positive strides in 2020.