Rocky Mountain Showdown

The Rocky Mountain Showdown is the name given to the Colorado–Colorado State football rivalry.^[2] It is an American college football intrastate rivalry between the University of Colorado Buffaloes and the Colorado State University Rams; the winner of the game receives the Centennial Cup. It began in 1893 and was played annually from 1899 to 1958,^[3] except for 1901, 1905, and 1943–44. It was revived in 1983 and played periodically until it became an annual rivalry once again from 1995 to 2019.

Rocky Mountain Showdown

Colorado Buffaloes Colorado State Rams
First meeting	February 10, 1893 Colorado 70, Colorado State 6
Latest meeting	September 14, 2024 Colorado 28, Colorado State 9
Next meeting	September 15, 2029 in Fort Collins, CO
Trophy	Centennial Cup
Statistics
Meetings total	93
All-time series	Colorado leads, 69–22–2[1]
Largest victory	Colorado, 67–0 (1894)
Longest win streak	Colorado, 12 (1934–1947)
Current win streak	Colorado, 7 (2015–present)

50km
30miles

Colorado

Colorado State

  

Locations of Colorado and Colorado State

Since 1998, the game has usually been played in Denver at Mile High Stadium and its replacement, Empower Field at Mile High, although the 2004, 2005, and 2009 games were played at CU's Folsom Field in Boulder. Empower Field, the home of the NFL's Denver Broncos, is considered neutral ground for both teams and has a greater capacity than either university's home stadium (Folsom Field and CSU's Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins). Since the annual game was renewed in 1995, it has been played twice at Colorado State; in 1996 at the Rams' former home of Hughes Stadium and in 2024 at CSU’s new on campus stadium.

In August 2009, both universities agreed to extend the Showdown until 2020, with the 2010–19 games all to be played at Broncos Stadium. The game was played in Boulder as planned in 2009. In 2015, Colorado athletic director Rick George stated that he wanted to return the series to campus sites, but that it was not in Colorado's best interest to extend the series.^[4][5]

Because the Pac-12 restricted member schools to conference play in fall sports in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the game was canceled for 2020, which marked the first year since 1994 without the rivalry game.^[6] The two teams met again for the first time in four years in 2023, in Boulder, and again in Fort Collins the following year. The next scheduled game is on September 15, 2029, in Fort Collins.^[7]

Game results

Colorado victories

Colorado State victories

Tie games

No. Date Location Winning team Losing team 1 February 10, 1893 Boulder Colorado 70 Colorado Agricultural 6 2 October 7, 1893 Boulder Colorado 44 Colorado Agricultural 6 3 October 27, 1894 Boulder Colorado 67 Colorado Agricultural 0 4 October 15, 1899 Boulder Colorado 63 Colorado Agricultural 0 5 October 15, 1900 Boulder Colorado 29 Colorado Agricultural 0 6 October 18, 1902 Boulder Colorado 11 Colorado Agricultural 7 7 October 10, 1903 Fort Collins Colorado 5 Colorado Agricultural 0 8 November 13, 1904 Boulder Colorado 46 Colorado Agricultural 0 9 November 10, 1906 Fort Collins Tie 0 Tie 0 10 October 19, 1907 Boulder Colorado 17 Colorado Agricultural 13 11 October 24, 1908 Fort Collins Colorado 8 Colorado Agricultural 0 12 October 23, 1909 Boulder Colorado 57 Colorado Agricultural 0 13 November 12, 1910 Fort Collins Colorado 44 Colorado Agricultural 0 14 November 11, 1911 Boulder Colorado 31 Colorado Agricultural 0 15 October 12, 1912 Fort Collins Colorado Agricultural 21 Colorado 0 16 October 18, 1913 Boulder Colorado 16 Colorado Agricultural 7 17 October 17, 1914 Fort Collins Colorado 33 Colorado Agricultural 6 18 October 9, 1915 Boulder Colorado Agricultural 23 Colorado 6 19 November 30, 1916 Boulder Colorado Agricultural 32 Colorado 14 20 October 6, 1917 Fort Collins Colorado 6 Colorado Agricultural 0 21 November 28, 1918 Boulder Colorado 16 Colorado Agricultural 13 22 October 11, 1919 Fort Collins Colorado Agricultural 49 Colorado 7 23 November 20, 1920 Boulder Tie 7 Tie 7 24 November 19, 1921 Fort Collins Colorado 10 Colorado Agricultural 0 25 November 4, 1922 Boulder Colorado 7 Colorado Agricultural 0 26 November 28, 1923 Fort Collins Colorado 6 Colorado Agricultural 3 27 November 22, 1924 Boulder Colorado 36 Colorado Agricultural 0 28 November 14, 1925 Fort Collins Colorado Agricultural 12 Colorado 0 29 November 13, 1926 Boulder Colorado Agricultural 3 Colorado 0 30 November 19, 1927 Fort Collins Colorado Agricultural 39 Colorado 7 31 November 10, 1928 Boulder Colorado 13 Colorado Agricultural 7 32 November 16, 1929 Fort Collins Colorado 6 Colorado Agricultural 0 33 October 25, 1930 Boulder Colorado 7 Colorado Agricultural 0 34 October 24, 1931 Fort Collins Colorado Agricultural 19 Colorado 6 35 October 22, 1932 Boulder Colorado Agricultural 7 Colorado 6 36 October 21, 1933 Fort Collins Colorado Agricultural 19 Colorado 6 37 October 27, 1934 Boulder Colorado 27 Colorado Agricultural 9 38 October 26, 1935 Boulder Colorado 19 Colorado A&M 6 39 October 24, 1936 Fort Collins Colorado 9 Colorado A&M 7 40 October 23, 1937 Boulder Colorado 47 Colorado A&M 0 41 October 22, 1938 Fort Collins Colorado 31 Colorado A&M 6 42 October 21, 1939 Boulder Colorado 13 Colorado A&M 0 43 October 19, 1940 Fort Collins Colorado 33 Colorado A&M 14 44 October 18, 1941 Boulder Colorado 26 Colorado A&M 13 45 October 24, 1942 Fort Collins Colorado 34 Colorado A&M 7 46 October 13, 1945 Fort Collins Colorado 21 Colorado A&M 6 47 November 28, 1946 Boulder Colorado 18 Colorado A&M 0 No. Date Location Winning team Losing team 48 October 25, 1947 Fort Collins Colorado 14 Colorado A&M 7 49 November 20, 1948 Boulder Colorado A&M 29 Colorado 25 50 November 26, 1949 Boulder Colorado A&M 14 Colorado 7 51 November 25, 1950 Fort Collins Colorado 31 Colorado A&M 6 52 September 22, 1951 Boulder Colorado 28 Colorado A&M 13 53 November 29, 1952 Boulder Colorado 61 Colorado A&M 0 54 November 28, 1953 Fort Collins Colorado 13 Colorado A&M 7 55 September 25, 1954 Boulder Colorado 46 Colorado State 0 56 November 26, 1955 Fort Collins Colorado A&M 10 Colorado 0 57 October 13, 1956 Boulder Colorado 47 Colorado A&M 7 58 November 9, 1957 Fort Collins Colorado 20 Colorado State 0 59 November 22, 1958 Boulder Colorado State 15 Colorado 14 60 September 17, 1983 Boulder Colorado 31 Colorado State 3 61 September 7, 1985 Boulder Colorado 23 Colorado State 10 62 September 6, 1986 Boulder Colorado State 23 Colorado 7 63 October 3, 1987 Fort Collins Colorado 29 Colorado State 16 64 October 1, 1988 Fort Collins Colorado 27 Colorado State 23 65 September 9, 1989 Boulder #9 Colorado 45 Colorado State 20 66 September 5, 1992 Boulder #12 Colorado 37 Colorado State 17 67 September 9, 1995 Boulder #10 Colorado 42 Colorado State 14 68 September 7, 1996 Fort Collins #5 Colorado 48 Colorado State 34 69 September 6, 1997 Boulder #8 Colorado 31 Colorado State 21 70 September 5, 1998 Denver Colorado 42 #15 Colorado State 14 71 September 4, 1999 Denver Colorado State 41 #14 Colorado 14 72 September 2, 2000 Denver Colorado State 28 #23 Colorado 24 73 September 1, 2001 Denver Colorado 41 #24 Colorado State 14 74 August 31, 2002 Denver Colorado State 19 #7 Colorado 14 75 August 30, 2003 Denver Colorado 42 #23 Colorado State 35 76 September 4, 2004 Boulder Colorado 27 Colorado State 24 77 September 3, 2005 Boulder Colorado 31 Colorado State 28 78 September 9, 2006 Denver Colorado State 14 Colorado 10 79 September 1, 2007 Denver Colorado 31 Colorado State 28OT 80 August 31, 2008 Denver Colorado 38 Colorado State 17 81 September 6, 2009 Boulder Colorado State 23 Colorado 17 82 September 4, 2010 Denver Colorado 24 Colorado State 3 83 September 17, 2011 Denver Colorado 28 Colorado State 14 84 September 1, 2012 Denver Colorado State 22 Colorado 17 85 September 1, 2013 Denver Colorado 41 Colorado State 27 86 August 29, 2014 Denver Colorado State 31 Colorado 17 87 September 19, 2015 Denver Colorado 27 Colorado State 24OT 88 September 2, 2016 Denver Colorado 44 Colorado State 7 89 September 1, 2017 Denver Colorado 17 Colorado State 3 90 August 31, 2018 Denver Colorado 45 Colorado State 13 91 August 30, 2019 Denver Colorado 52 Colorado State 31 92 September 16, 2023 Boulder #18 Colorado 43 Colorado State 352OT 93 September 14, 2024 Fort Collins Colorado 28 Colorado State 9 Series: Colorado leads 69–22–2[1]

Rivalry beyond football

While football is the main aspect of the Colorado–Colorado State rivalry, the two schools are rivals in every sport.^[8]

In men's basketball, Colorado holds a 94–41 all-time record over Colorado State as of 2024.^[9]

In women's basketball, Colorado holds a 39-12 all-time record (since 1975) over Colorado State as of 2019.^[10]

In women's volleyball, Colorado State holds a 28-19 all-time record over Colorado as of 2024.^[11] The two volleyball programs have competed for the Golden Spike Trophy — a trophy featuring a vintage railroad spike that has been painted gold — since 2019.^[12]

See also

• List of NCAA college football rivalry games

References

1. "Winsipedia – Colorado Buffaloes vs. Colorado State Rams football series history". Winsipedia. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
2. "Rocky Mountain Mowdown: CU Buffs dominate Colorado State". September 1, 2018.
3. "Colorado schools may meet again by 1981". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. May 2, 1979. p. 23.
4. Kensler, Tom (February 4, 2015). "Colorado likely to end football series with CSU after 2020 meeting". denverpost.com. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
5. "Colorado-Colorado State Football Series Could Be Ending". Fbschedules.com. February 2, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
6. Rooney, Pat (July 10, 2020). "No Rocky Mountain Showdown: Pac-12 cancels nonconference games for all fall sports". Boulder Daily Camera. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
7. "Future Colorado Football Schedules".
8. "Ranking the top 10 greatest rivalries in the state of Colorado". The Denver Post. July 23, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
9. "Men's Basketball History vs Colorado State". Colorado Athletics. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
10. "Women's Basketball History vs University of Colorado". Colorado State Athletics. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
11. "Volleyball History vs Colorado State University". Colorado Athletics. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
12. "Buffs Take On CSU In Double-Header". Pac-12 Conference. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.