Colorado State University’s time in the Mountain West Conference came to an end Tuesday, and the Rams began a new era Wednesday by officially becoming a member of the Pac-12.
CSU spent 27 seasons in the MWC, beginning in 1999. During that span for football, it won or shared three conference championships and made 13 bowl appearances under six different head coaches, although not all six led the team to a bowl game.
Here is a short list of some of the highlights of the Rams’ time in the MWC:
Early MWC success
The Rams made an immediate impact in their first season in the MWC in 1999, going 8-4 overall and 5-2 in the conference while claiming co-champion status in the league after only losing to BYU and San Diego State in conference play.
That season began with a 41-14 victory over Colorado in Denver and ended with a loss to Southern Miss in the Liberty Bowl. In between, the Rams had a five-game winning streak to end the regular season, with victories over Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Air Force and UNLV.
CSU’s success in its inaugural MWC season carried over to 2000, when the Rams went 10-2 overall, 6-1 in the league and won their first bowl game as a member of the conference. Two years later, in 2002, the Rams won the conference title again, going 6-1 for the second time in three seasons.
However, that initial success stalled and the Rams never won another MWC title. CSU did go 6-1 in conference play in 2024, but Boise State (7-0) and UNLV (6-1) advanced to the conference championship game.
Rivalry results
During their MWC tenure, the Rams had their share of ups and downs against their three biggest rivals — Colorado, Wyoming and Air Force. Several of the matchups in those series were memorable ones.
Beginning in 1999, the Rams defeated the Buffs three times in a four-year span but then lost seven of the next nine meetings. One of the most memorable wins came in 2002 when Bradlee Van Pelt scored on a 23-yard run and then spiked the ball off the helmet of CU safety Roderick Sneed as he crossed the goal line. It was the go-ahead score as the Rams upset No. 7 CU 19-14.
The Rams and Buffs will renew their rivalry in 2029 at Canvas Stadium, and then will play again in 2030 in Boulder.
Even though they are no longer conference opponents, CSU and Wyoming will continue the Border War beginning with the first game of the 2026 season at Canvas Stadium. The battle for the Bronze Boot has provided many memorable moments, especially during the teams’ time as league opponents.
The Rams defeated the Cowboys eight out of 10 times from 1999-2008 before losing 11 of 15 meetings from 2009-2023. In 2024, CSU ended a three-year losing streak in the series , the Rams’ first home win in the series since 2020. Wyoming won last year’s meeting and currently is in possession of the Bronze Boot entering the Sept. 5 matchup in Fort Collins.
With both teams now in different conferences and with no future matchups scheduled, the Ram-Falcon trophy awarded to the winner of the CSU-Air Force rivalry resides in Colorado Springs after the Falcons won last year’s meeting, 42-21. CSU did snap a seven-game losing streak to Air Force in 2024, pulling out a 21-13 victory on the Falcons’ home field. Prior to that, the Falcons had won 15 of the 17 previous contests dating to 2006. However, CSU won five of the first seven meetings between the teams beginning in 1999.
Bowl game history
During their time in the MWC, the Rams went 4-9 in bowl games, claiming victories in 2000 (Liberty Bowl), 2001 (New Orleans Bowl), 2008 (New Mexico Bowl) and 2013 (New Mexico Bowl).
That 2013 game against Washington State in Albuquerque was the most dramatic. CSU trailed 45-30 with 4:17 left in the game and pulled within 45-37 with 2:52 left after a 12-yard pass from Garrett Grayson to Jordon Vaden.
After recovering a Washington State fumble, the Rams scored on a touchdown by Kapri Bibbs and converted a 2-point conversion to tie the game at 45-45. CSU then pounced on a loose ball on the ensuing kickoff and Jared Roberts converted a 41-yard field goal as time expired to give the Rams a 48-45 victory.
That would end up being the most recent bowl victory for the Rams, as they have gone 0-5 in bowl since, losing to Utah in the 2014 Las Vegas Bowl, Nevada in the 2015 Arizona Bowl, Idaho in the 2016 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Mashall in the 2017 Gildan New Mexico Bowl and, most recently, .
Finally beating Boise
Going into their game against Boise State on Oct. 14, 2023, the Rams had never defeated the Broncos, having lost the first 12 meetings in a series that began in 2011.
That all changed on a magical mid-October night at Canvas Stadium.
CSU trailed 30-10 with 6:12 remaining in the game and it looked like Boise State’s dominance over the Rams would reach 13 games. However, the Rams staged an epic rally with three touchdowns in the final 4:01 of the game.
A 12-yard touchdown pass from Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi to Louis Brown the IV cut the Rams’ deficit to 30-17 with 4:01 remaining, and a 2-yard TD pass from Fowler-Nicolosi to Dylan Goffney made it a one-possession game at 30-24 with 1:53 to go.
The Rams’ final possession began with 33 seconds on the clock and culminated with a 33-yard TD pass hauled in by Dallin Holker to tie the game. Jordan Noyes’ long PAT after a celebration penalty was good, and the Rams secured their .
