Rocky Mountain Showdown renewed for six more games

BOULDER — We missed out on the Rocky Mountain Showdown in 2020, but there will be plenty more on the way.

Colorado and Colorado State agreed to play six times between 2029 and 2038, the schools announced Tuesday morning. The Rocky Mountain Showdown—as the rivalry is known—was set to expire after the that is game scheduled for 2024.

“For both fan bases, this is a premiere game any time it’s on the schedule, and it was important to both (CU athletic director) Rick George and I to get this done,” Colorado State athletic director Joe Parker said. “It was also essential to get the Showdown back on campus. College football is best enjoyed in on-campus venues, and I’m thrilled we were able to get that done for fans of both teams for the foreseeable future.”

Here’s what the Rocky Mountain Showdown schedule looks like, following the announcement:

Sept. 16, 2023 — Boulder (Folsom Field)

Sept. 14, 2024 — Fort Collins (Canvas Stadium)

Sept. 15, 2029 — Fort Collins (Canvas Stadium)

Sept. 14, 2030 — Boulder (Folsom Field)

Sept. 17, 2033 — Boulder (Folsom Field)

Sept. 16, 2034 — Fort Collins (Canvas Stadium)

Sept. 19, 2037 — Boulder (Folsom Field)

Sept. 11, 2038 — Fort Collins (Canvas Stadium)

As you can see, the games follow a two-one, two-off format. Each team will host the game once every four years, giving every student-athlete a chance to play the game on their home turf.

By only playing the game twice every four years, the programs retain flexibility in scheduling and the opportunity to line up some big-name opponents.

“This has been a great series for the state, and we wanted to be sure we had games locked in moving forward,” CU athletic director Rick George said in the release announcing the series. “The two-on, two-off format we’ve adopted provides both schools some flexibility to schedule other non-conference opponents in other parts of the country, which play a role in several factors, including alumni engagement and recruiting. We have some exciting series coming up this decade, but also felt it was prudent to secure CSU deep into the 2030s.”

For Colorado, the newly-announced games are the first to be scheduled for the 2030s. According to the release, CU is in talks with other programs to schedule more games for the 2030s, which the Buffs “hope to finalize in the coming months.” The release also notes that some schools have already scheduled games into the 2040s.

Colorado has played Colorado State more than any other opponent. The series dates back to 1893 and Colorado has a 67-22-2 record, including wins in each of the last five games. The 2038 meeting will be the 99th in the series, assuming no changes to the schedule.