Wyoming (4-8, 2-6 Mountain West in 2025) at Colorado State (2-10, 1-7 Mountain West in 2025)
When/where: 4 p.m. Saturday/Canvas Stadium
TV/Radio: USA Network/Rams Radio Network
CSU -3, 46.5 over/under
71 degrees, partly cloudy and possible thunderstorm
Series history: CSU leads series 59-52-5; Wyoming won last year in Laramie, 28-0
Three storylines
New Era in FoCo: Jim Mora makes his CSU debut as the 25th head coach in program history, and with his arrival, the Rams turned over two-thirds of their roster. There are with 41 being transfers. This is also the first year of the Rams being in the revamped Pac-12 after CSU left the Mountain West. Thus, CSU’s stakes are high for the 118th edition of the Border War and the 59th time the programs have played for the storied Bronze Boot. A Wyoming upset would be a rough harbinger for the Rams.
Mystery at QB. Mora on Saturday. The decision is between Hauss Hejny and K’Saan Farrar. Hejny is a transfer from Oklahoma State, where he started the 2025 opener but broke his foot and didn’t play the rest of the season. Farrar is coming off a redshirt season at UConn, where Mora was. Those two are the headliners of the only QB room in the country without a fourth-year or older player on scholarship. Meanwhile, Wyoming will start William and Mary dual-threat transfer
Influence from UConn, Colorado preps. Will Mora’s success in Storrs translate to wins in Fort Collins? We’re about to start finding out. Mora was 27-23 over four seasons with the Huskies, including consecutive nine-win campaigns and bowl appearances in 2024 and ’25. This year’s CSU team features 18 transfers from UConn who followed Mora here. Additionally, CSU’s roster features 16 players from Colorado, seven more than both Air Force and CU. Freshman tailback Jayden Fox, a Cherry Creek alum who was the state Gatorade Player of the Year last year and was previously committed to UConn and then UCLA, is the most intriguing local name.
Predictions
Kyle Newman, sportswriter: Wyoming 21, CSU 17
With so many new players and an inexperienced QB, no matter who’s under center, it’s hard to know what to make of the Rams. But as we’ve seen in Boulder, it’s difficult to piece together winning football teams composed of mostly new faces, as CSU has this year. This will be a tight one, but the brown and gold prevail behind a big performance on the ground by tailback Samuel “Tote” Harris that is complemented by some crafty play-calling by who out-schemes Rams DC Tyson Summers.
Sean Keeler, sports columnist: CSU 23, Wyoming 21
The little voices in my head worry about Hauss Hejny’s size and Tyson Summer’s defense. But then a louder voice remembers who the head coach is. You know how many home debuts Jim Mora’s lost as a head man since 2004? That would be none, my friends. Perfect in college (UCLA, UConn). Perfect in the NFL (Atlanta, Seattle). You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Or to make a mark in your only true rivalry game of the season. Whatever you think of Mora — pro, con or otherwise — the man gets it. He’ll get the Boot, too.
Troy Renck, sports columnist: CSU 23, Wyoming 17
Win at UCONN and UCANN win at CSU. Jim Mora is a strong hire for the Rams, especially as they move into the Pac-12. After an embarrassing showing in The Border War last season, the Rams will exact revenge. Who will be the difference? Hard to predict given the roster overhaul, but the safe bet is a running back. Why will the Rams win? Mora is known for playing a physical brand of football, winning in the trenches. Conservative, mistake-free football will provide Mora a successful debut against a scoring-challenged Cowboys offense.
Nate Peterson, sports editor: CSU 21, Wyoming 14
Everything is new at CSU: New conference, new coach, new quarterback and, count ’em, 76 new players, including 41 transfers. Those 76 new Rams weren’t in Laramie last year and couldn’t care less about the butt-kicking the Pokes put on CSU. Neither does Mora, who hasn’t named his starting QB and has the element of surprise entering Week 1, when it’s hard to make heads or tails of how a team will do the rest of the way. Mora’s teams have played disciplined, hard-nosed football. That’ll be their calling card in this one to get a new era off to a strong start in Fort Collins.
