The Rams released their 2026 football schedule on Wednesday evening,

CSU will play four of its first five games at home, including a season-opening tussle with rival Wyoming in the Border War on Sept. 5. It’s the earliest Battle For The Bronze Boot in the game’s history.

The opener is followed by an “Orange Out”/Ag Day game against Southern Utah on Sept. 12, then a visit from Big 12 power BYU on Sept. 19. After three home dates, the Rams visit UTSA on Sept. 26 before hosting Oregon State for homecoming on Oct. 10.

Following an Oct. 17 bye, CSU will finish the season with four out of its next six games on the road. San Diego State visits Canvas Stadium on Oct. 24; Boise State visits on Nov. 7.

The Rams’ first league slate will feature a unique wrinkle at the end — a home date on Nov. 28, Thanksgiving weekend, against a “flexed” opponent. Per the university’s news release, the “Pac-12 will retain the right to adjust the matchup based on the best interests of the league, including College Football Playoff (CFP) considerations at that time.”

The Rams will officially join the Pac-12 on July 1, the start of the new university fiscal year. CSU and former Mountain West members Boise State, Utah State, San Diego State and Boise State will join Pac-12 holdovers Oregon State and Washington State and newcomer Texas State in the league’s inaugural season.

But he’s never seen a bonfire like this before. Penn State, LSU, Florida, Arkansas, UCLA and Oregon State have all fired their football coaches before Halloween. ESPN.com published a report on Tuesday estimating contract buyouts for fired Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) coaches are up to roughly $168 million so far.

“There used to be (scenarios where) you got a four-year deal (to coach),” Neinas, the former Big 12 and Big Eight commissioner who calls Boulder County home, told The Denver Post. “They’d stay with you four years. Because the first year, you can forget it. The second year, you think, you’d see some improvements. The third year, you should be a winning team. Now, Christ Almighty, they let (coaches) go after two years.”

In the case of the CSU Rams, three years and change. On Oct. 19, CSU fired Jay Norvell seven games into his fourth season at the helm. The buyout was $1.5 million, which is roughly the same as CSU’s postseason revenue distribution from the Mountain West in the 2023-24 fiscal year ($1.6 million). And about half what the Rams collected in ticket revenue from the ’23 football season ($3.7 million), Norvell’s second with the program.

But what prompted the Rams’ first mid-season firing of a football coach since 1981? What will the spate of big-time job openings mean for CSU’s search? And why would CSU jump feet-first, in the middle of the autumn, into the most expensive open coaching market in modern college football history?

The short answer can be broken down into four Cs: The candidates, the calendar, the cost, and the conference.

1. The conference

Let’s start with the obvious one, but one that’s driven most major CSU athletic decisions over the last 10-12 months: The Pac-12 Conference.

The Rams are slated to join a revamped, expanded Pac-12 next July — a collective which, for football, will link five of the biggest gridiron programs in the Mountain West (CSU, Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State) with Pac-12 holdovers Washington State and Oregon State, along with Texas State from the Sun Belt.

CSU has been fundraising and marketing heavily on becoming part of the Pac-12, even though the largest names to shape the legacy of that brand now play in the Big Ten (USC, UCLA, Oregon, Washington), the Big 12 (CU, Utah, Arizona, Arizona State) or the ACC (Stanford, Cal).

But having been rebuffed by the Big 12 in its expansion efforts over the last decade or so, this is the Rams’ chance to be seen as  “stepping up” a level — even if experts estimate that the financial benefits, at least in terms of broadcast rights, may not improve all that significantly.

The Pac-12 is largely a perception bump. And in terms of how CSU is perceived when compared to the Broncos, Bulldogs, Aztecs, Aggies, Cougars and Beavers, the returns under Norvell weren’t promising. Since 2022, the Rams have posted a 4-9 record against members of the new-look Pac-12. That would translate to a 3-6 conference record, on average, over a nine-game league slate.

“Coach Norvell built momentum for a program that deeply needed it,” athletic director John Weber said on Oct. 20. “But, ultimately, progress was challenged. And progress stalled at a very critical time for us as we ascend into the Pac-12.”

2. The calendar

College football programs want new leadership, or stability, in place before the early signing period for high school recruits, which runs from Dec. 3-5. Even more importantly, the new single transfer portal window for FBS programs runs Jan. 2-16.

For schools that have undergone a coaching change like CSU, the current roster will have a 15-day window in which to enter the portal that begins five days after a new coach is announced or hired. That makes being in position to restock the roster after inevitable turnover of utmost importance.

“To me, when you make the decision to move when (the Rams) did, they feel the (timing) is important,” CBS Sports football analyst and former CU football coach Rick Neuheisel told The Post. “So clearly, they have somebody that they’re wanting to get to (hire) before that entity or person can be lured by others.

“Now that’s just a guess. But there’s no reason to do that and put every (Rams player) in the portal for a month unless they just felt (certain about a candidate).”

Norvell’s dismissal was the earliest CSU has moved on from a football coach, mid-season, since 1981, when Sarkis Arslanian was ousted after an 0-6 start. The Rams finished 0-12 under defensive coordinator/interim coach Chester Caddas that fall.

If recent history is any indicator, the Rams also acted early to a.) get ahead of a crowded market; b.) line up as many chess pieces as possible toward landing their top target or targets.

CU let former Buffs football coach Karl Dorrell go after an 0-5 start on Oct. 2, 2022. Almost exactly two months later, Jackson State coach Deion Sanders was announced as Dorrell’s replacement.

CU athletic director Rick George said when “Coach Prime” was introduced in December 2022 that he had personally spent much of the previous two months wooing the Pro Football Hall-of-Famer, who was reportedly weighing other offers.

It’s safe to assume Weber is in a similar mode — or soon will be.

“From a timing perspective, it allows us to run a very exhaustive search,” the CSU administrator said last month. “In conjunction with the search firm that we’re going to use, it’s going to be able to present, I think, a lot of options and allow us to make a very informed, non-rushed decision on the next person to lead our program.”

3. The cost

The only bit of business better than being an FBS coach these days is becoming an ex-FBS coach. . Penn State gave James Franklin Florida pushed Billy Napier out the door with a $21 million golden parachute. Mike Gundy (fired) just got $15 million from Oklahoma State; Sam Pittman (also fired) got $9.8 million from Arkansas; DeShaun Foster (ditto) got $5 million from UCLA; Trent Bray (same) got $4 million from Oregon State.

The total buyout bonfire could run close to $200 million by early December. By comparison, FBS schools last year spent roughly $36 million in order to expedite the termination of head coach contracts.

Why are schools willing to burn through cash? Follow the money. Or rather, follow the boosters, businesses and alumni who keep forking it over.

Because of the House vs. NCAA settlement earlier this year, college athletic departments can now share revenue with student-athletes. The new line item on the budget has forced schools to cut staff, cut sports, cut budgets — while also looking for new and more lucrative revenue streams such as increased advertising or

Those who are footing the bills to obtain or keep student-athletes expect a return on their investment. And, as Neuheisel pointed out, they also demand a louder voice in athletic department discussions.

“We have a lot of pseudo-owners now (in college football),” Neuheisel said. “I don’t know the infrastructure at CSU … but when you invite money into your home, you’ve now invited (that money’s) opinion into your home. And when they start saying, ‘My opinion will be adhered to, or the money dries up,’ you’re kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

The College Football Playoff TV contracts pay out $1.3 billion annually. The 12 teams that participated in the 2024-25 playoff, including Mountain West/Pac-12 rival Boise State, received $4 million just for making the field — as well as a $3 million stipend to cover expenses for every round in which they participate.

As one of the four highest-ranked conference champions selected to the CFP, Boise pocketed $8 million from the postseason bracket, according to the Sports Business Journal. Weber has made no secret about his desire to see Rams football follow, or surpass, the Broncos as one of the pre-eminent non-Power-4 programs nationally.

“I set the vision for Colorado State to become the most loved, most watched, most innovative athletics program in the West,” Weber said.

The portal has created free agency for the talent pool — just like in the NFL. Revenue-sharing in the wake of the House settlement more or less puts players on a quasi-payroll — just like in the NFL. Football programs now have “general managers” who budget who gets paid what — just like in the NFL.

Is it any wonder that NFL-like job security for head coaches has arrived at the highest level of amateur football?

“No one’s patient in this world,” Sanders said during his weekly news conference last Tuesday. “How do we exude patience when we could call up right now and get a pizza delivery right here, (or) that you could call and get a ride waiting outside for you.

“… Ain’t nobody got no patience no more. I understand that. And I don’t (have it), either … I want things done right now, because I’m used to getting up there working, putting in the work, and you want the results from the work you put in. (But) it don’t oftentimes work like that.”

4. The candidates

Weber has not said much publicly about specific criteria for Norvell’s replacement, other than noting that previous head-coaching experience would be “nice.”

“In terms of what (traits) we’re looking for, about the only thing that I’m going to say is that it needs to be collaborative,” the administrator said on Oct. 20. “We’ve entered an era in collegiate sports, and football in particular, where as a university, we all need to collaborate to ensure that we can be as successful as we possibly can.”

The sheer amount of dollars involved in big-time college football searches has made for some strange collaborations elsewhere — and even stranger bedfellows. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry raised eyebrows this past week when he interjected himself into the search for Brian Kelly’s replacement, noting that he’d rather see President Donald Trump select the next Tigers football coach “before I let (athletic director Scott Woodward) do it.” Woodward resigned on Thursday.

“Remember what (former Alabama coach) Nick Saban said?” Neinas chuckled. “He said, ‘It’s the money.’ It’s the NIL (Name/Image/Likeness compensation) and the portal and all that. He’s obviously better qualified than I, and he points out that when you get the people giving money to the NIL, it means (the donors) feel they get a voice as to how to run the football program.”

Neinas, who has consulted on high-profile football and men’s basketball coaching hires, says he would like to see CSU lean on some veteran administrative voices to help steer its next football hire. He pointed out one in particular — Mike Bohn, a longtime colleague and the former athletic director at CU and USC,

“I never talked to an agent in all the searches I did,” Neinas said. “I talked directly to the coach.

“What you’re looking for is leadership. I don’t know how many coaching interviews I’ve been through, but no one’s asked, ‘How do you block this type of I-formation?’ What you’ve got to do is find a leader. That’s the most important role for the head coach.”

Wyoming came to play Saturday night. The Rams came to pout. Or maybe plan, to a man, for life after Fort Collins.

If the 117th edition of the Border War was a boxing match, they’d have called it after three rounds. If it were a Broadway show, they’d have closed it at intermission.

If it was a harbinger, look out. Because it’s going to be a long, cold, brutal final four weeks in Fort Fun.

Wyoming 28, CSU 0. And that scoreline probably flatters the Rams, who looked flat from the jump.

It was the Cowboys’ largest margin of victory in a battle for the Bronze Boot since 2010 — a 44-0 Pokes win. That was also the last time CSU got blanked in the series.

If Fresno State was “complimentary” football, Saturday was three hours of derogatory gridiron purgatory, a litany of negative superlatives that stacked to the sky like a tower of poisoned LEGO blocks.

You can fake a lot of these things in this world. You can’t fake football when the administration fires the coach and sets fire to the rest of the season. You can’t fake giving a hoot in a rivalry game when you don’t.

That’s not a knock. It’s just human nature. Jay Norvell was given his walking papers last Sunday. CSU’s franchise QB, Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, walked out right after him.

The pair dug a lot of the holes this program finds itself in right now, granted. But there isn’t enough talent — or brotherhood, or camaraderie or trust — left among the remaining pieces to climb out.

The lines between the NFL and the upper levels of the college game are getting blurrier by the day. But when everybody’s a free agent, that whole “checking out” thing becomes endemic.

You know how a pro locker room looks in December when the players inside it wake up with a 3-11 record?

That’s what CSU looked like Saturday. 50 guys. 50 taxis. 50 agendas.

In the old days, a college coach — even an interim one — rarely lost a locker room entirely. Too many guys would be too worried about keeping their scholarships, never mind their snaps.

That’s gone, baby.

Thanks to the transfer portal, most of these guys are gone, too. And they already know it.

The Rams (2-6, 1-3 Mountain West) have four games left. They might well be underdogs in all of them. If Saturday was any indication, they won’t be close in most.

“Yeah, we fired our head coach on Sunday,” interim coach Tyson Summers, a nice man on a doomed mission, said as he fielded postgame questions inside War Memorial Fieldhouse.  “It’s a hard week.

“I mean, y’all are asking questions, and the obvious thing’s there. I’m not trying to be rude or disrespectful, but it’s challenging … I wish it were more competitive, like you said. And I do think in the second half, we played a lot better. And I’m gonna be as proud of that as I can be.”

If you’re not going to show up for the Boot, when are you ever going to show up?

If I’m Summers, here’s what I’ve got to say to reach this CSU roster and its communal wanderlust:

“You might not care about us. Or about putting something on tape for us, going forward. But you’re going to want to put something on tape for somebody, gentlemen. And I’m not playing guys who don’t want to put their best on tape.”

Or something along those lines.

“It’s challenging … it’s not easy,” Summers said. “I didn’t see anybody fussing. We’ve got disappointed guys, for sure. But you don’t see guys finger-pointing. You don’t see guys quitting.”

Not Owen Long, at any rate. Dude’s got tape good enough for anybody, Power 4 schools included. After three quarters, the CSU linebacker and California native had already piled up nine stops. He collected four on the first seven Wyoming snaps of the evening.

Whatever that guy wants on the revenue-sharing market, you give him.

Whatever running back Jalen Dupree wants, best listen. Same with speedy runners Javion Kinnard and Lloyd Avant. And Tanner Morley on the offensive line.

Among underclassmen, after that?

Don’t know.

Awfully short list.

Then again, that’s how a coach gets fired.

That and CSU’s QB room right now.

If there were ever a time to ride with redshirt freshman Darius Curry (9 of 16, 112 passing yards) behind center, though, this would be it. Because with Jackson Brosseau (10 for 18, three interceptions), we’ve already seen enough. And we’ve probably already seen his peak.

With 1:52 left in the first quarter, on first down from the CSU 44, Brousseau locked eyes on wideout Tommy Maher on an “out” route up the left boundary and never unlocked them, despite an open man spilling past the hash marks. Wyoming defensive back Desman Hearns followed Brousseau’s eyes, too, stepping in front of Maher and cradling the pick at the CSU 49.

The Rams threatened to make it interesting again with 3:22 left in the half, facing a third-and-7 at their own 43 while trying to dent a 14-0 Wyoming lead. Brousseau rolled right this time, only instead of setting himself, he heaved a prayer off his back foot.

The ball, no shock, air-mailed past everybody. Everybody in green, at any rate.

Only at the last instant, Pokes free safety and former Poudre High star Jones Thomas slid under the ball before it could hit the turf for Wyoming’s second pick of the first half.

As daggers go, it was as ironic as it was painful: Thomas is the grandson of CSU legend Earlie Thomas. A Rams legacy.

Same song. Different Hearns.

With six minutes left in the first half, CSU was averaging 5.6 yards per carry on eight totes. Yet they were down 14-0. Why? They’d managed all of two passing yards. Two.

At the half, Brousseau had completed four of eight throws. CSU had logged 62 offensive yards as a team. Wyoming had 228, and led 21-0.

Both rivals brought new play-callers to the Border War. But only one side really showed it.

While the Rams were shaking things up this past Sunday and Monday, Wyoming kept pace. After a 24-21 loss at Air Force, Cowboys coach Jay Sawvel demoted Jay Johnson from offensive coordinator to analyst.

Enter Jovon Bouknight. And exit huddles. Wyoming’s opening drive stalled at the Rams’ 37. The Cowboys’ second punch drew blood and never stopped. The Pokes marched 67 yards on 12 plays, capping the jaunt on QB Landon Sims’ keeper in the end zone with 2:43 to go in the quarter for a 6-0 lead. Which, as it turns out, was all the points they needed.

“We’ll get better and we will get there,” Summers said. “I promise.”

With that, he nodded to his wife and shook the hand of every writer in the news conference, alighting with team down and head high. Alas, when Summers signed up to try and right a 2-5 ship, nobody told him it was the Titanic.

“They fired me in 2007,” Sonny Lubick, the greatest football coach in modern CSU Rams history, laughed when I reached him by phone a few days back. “And I believe that there’ve been four coaches (since). Haven’t figured it out yet.”

Nope. And it’s five coaches since 2007, actually. Five if we don’t count interims — a club Tyson Summers joined when Jay Norvell was let go in advance of Saturday night’s Border War showdown with Wyoming.

“The thing is, I don’t know (the problem),” Lubick continued. “It’s hard to (pinpoint) … if it was just one thing, it would be easy to fix. But it’s not like that.”

Louis Matthew Lubick, who turned 88 years young in March, is still a fixer at heart. He’s feeling good, getting his steps in, , watching multiple games every weekend from afar.

Although, like the rest of us, he’s found CSU games awfully hard to watch as of late.

“I knew after he got beat (by Hawaii), things were shaky,” Lubick said of Norvell, who was fired last Sunday after four seasons and an 18-26 record.

“Now your backside is on what I guess I would call the hot seat. When you coach like that, it’s hard. Those never work out. When you’ve got your own pressure on yourself  … ‘We’ve got to win four or more games or we’re gone.’ You can’t do that. It’s hard.”

Harder still: Keeping talent around Fort Fun once you’ve actually identified and signed it. Under Lubick, from 1996-2007, the Rams saw 20 players drafted into the NFL, an average of almost two per year. It’s a club that featured some big-hitters: Joey Porter (1999), Clark Haggans (2000) and Joel Dreessen (2005), to name a few.

In the 10 NFL Drafts from 2016-2025, CSU had seven guys taken. Canvas Stadium has become a $220 million monument to mediocrity. The Rams built it. People came. Titles haven’t.

“Are you puzzled?” I asked Lubick.

“We all are,” he replied.

For one, the rules have changed. The Rams are fighting uphill against a system where the decks are being stacked higher and higher against them.

True, CSU has the best football stadium and football facilities in the Mountain West. But as you pine for Sonny’s salad days, ask yourself this:

Would Porter, Haggans or Bradlee Van Pelt — a seventh-round choice of the Broncos in 2004 — have stuck around to finish their eligibility in FoCo if there had been a transfer portal and NIL money a generation ago?

Bigger schools see their smaller peers as football and basketball farm systems. The blue bloods are bidding right now to snap up the Rams’ best players, while athletic director John Weber has to come up with ways to pay them. Above him, higher-ed belts are tightening everywhere, from the federal level on down.

“I know this: It’s pressure-packed,” Lubick said. “It’s an important hire.”

Especially now. Which is why Weber is doing the right thing by hiring a search firm, by listening to voices who know what he doesn’t. The last time CSU didn’t use a firm on a football coaching search, it landed Steve Addazio.

Lubick, by the way, was a big Norvell fan. Although he says he’s seen the good in each of his successors — even The Daz, whose tenure was tempestuous, turgid (4-12) and terse.

“I wasn’t surprised in the end,” Lubick said of Norvell. “He’s (been) more than good to me. And their staff was, (as well).”

A few days before the Rams hosted Fresno State at Canvas on Oct. 10, Lubick visited the football offices. CSU eventually put together its most complete game of the season against the Bulldogs, forcing four turnovers and rolling to a 49-21 victory.

“I just went over there to tell him to keep going,” Lubick recalled. “I wished him good luck and hoped things go well. (Norvell) appreciated me coming by.

“He’s a good person. He’s trying to do the right things for the players … you gotta win, I guess.”

You gotta. You gotta keep Canvas full, or pretty close, on a regular basis. You gotta re-recruit your roster, every year. You gotta pay them what they think they’re worth.

You gotta have a QB who can finish drives. You gotta have a defense that can snuff them out. You gotta keep all this afloat with television money that, even in the Pac-12, will probably be a sixth of what Purdue or Rutgers are pocketing from the Big Ten.

When it comes to coaching searches, Lubick does come a lot cheaper than most consultants. Just saying.

“You don’t want to hear that from me,” Lubick cracked. “Whatever I say is the opposite (of what will happen) …

“They did (ask me) one time. And I think it helped. I tried to give my honest opinion. I just want the best thing for the school. I don’t know why they wouldn’t (ask me).”

Well, there is at least one reason. That would be Matt Lubick, Sonny’s son and a former CSU assistant, a candidate who’s logged time at Ole Miss, Arizona State, Duke, Oregon, Washington and Nebraska. And who’s currently the co-coordinator of a Kansas offense that went into the weekend averaging 32.4 points per game with a QB, Jalon Daniels, who sported a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 18-to-2.

“If they ask me, ‘Who should be the next coach?’ They know what I would say,” Lubick said. “That would hurt Matt, probably. It’s better that I stay out of it.”

Twelve years.

Four coaches.

Haven’t figured it out yet.

“If you’ve got a good QB, or a decent QB, you have a chance,” Lubick said. “Then (Norvell) lost that (Hawaii) game, that’s what …”

A pause.

“I probably talk too much,” Lubick said. He laughed again. “My wife says, ‘Be quiet.'”

The Bronze Boot.

It����ap Border War week as the Rams (2-5 overall, 1-2 Mountain West Conference) travel to Wyoming on Saturday to face the Cowboys in the 117th edition of the rivalry that dates back to 1899.

While interim head coach Tyson Summers may be new to his position, he is no stranger to the rivalry. He was the team’s defensive coordinator the last time CSU won in Laramie, 26-7, in 2015.

“It was cold,” Summers said. “It was funny. If I remember correctly, the running back that we were playing that day was a guy that was either leading the country in rushing or maybe second in the country. And so, the emphasis was obviously stopping the run.

“We did that, that day. If I remember correctly, we had a couple of takeaways early. At the end of the game, I think we had a shutout going. And if I remember correctly, I was not happy that we didn’t finish it.”

Ten years later, the Rams are still chasing an elusive victory in Laramie. They lost there in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023. Summers hopes to break that trend at the end of a somewhat chaotic week.

However, the interim coach said the players have responded well this week after Jay Norvell was let go, and they are focused on keeping the Bronze Boot in Fort Collins. , and the trophy has remained encased in glass at the stadium for the past year.

“I think it����ap been great,” Summers said of the players’ reaction to the coaching change. “I’m the most biased person in the building, but they’ve been good. Just trying to do your progression correctly with their emotions and their processes was a big part of it. I talked to them about it the other day, just letting them have their day with coach Norvell. I thought that was really important.

“I thought they handled that really well, and I thought that was important for coach as well and being able to turn a page and get to Wyoming the next day. Not that there’s a lot of change, but just some subtle adjustments to some things that I think can help us out.”

Another change for the Rams this week is its new offensive coordinator and play caller, tight ends coach Grant Chesnut.

It was only a few weeks ago that now-former head coach Norvell . After careful consideration, Summers felt Chesnut was right for the job going forward.

“I didn’t make that decision lightly or anything like that,” Summers said. “Grant is somebody that has had a lot of experience as an offensive coordinator and play caller. He obviously understands the game well. I really like his sense of urgency in his details.”

Summers has described repeatedly this week the team is hitting a reset button with a new coach and offensive play caller.

That reset trickles down to the players as well, and Summers believes their focus is right where it needs to be ahead of Saturday’s game.

“My emphasis has been high about what we have to do to get better and hit the reset button over and over in what our habits are and what our focus needs to be,” Summers said. “But we talk about Wyoming and every group, and every team each day is about the Border War, about the Boot.”

Even though no starters from last year’s game will be on the field, the players know the importance of the task at hand.

They’ve blocked out the early-week distractions and plan on bringing the boot back Fort Collins.

“We want to keep the Boot here,” quarterback Jackson Brousseau said. “That����ap first and foremost the most important thing right now is keeping the Boot here. We’re just really focused on scheming them up and getting ready to go.”

Scouting the Cowboys

Wyoming is 3-4 overall and 1-2 in Mountain West. The Cowboys are coming off a 24-21 loss to Air Force last week.

Offensively, the team is led by quarterback Kaden Anderson, who has passed for 1,480 yards and nine touchdowns. Samuel Harris leads the rushing attack with 405 yards and a touchdown, while Chris Durr leads the receivers with 331 yards and three touchdowns.

Defensively, Brayden Johnson leads the team with 42 tackles and two interceptions. Tyce Westland and Ben Florentine each have 5.5 tackles for loss while Florentine leads the team with five sacks.

This is the 117th meeting between the two teams. The Rams lead the series 59-51-5. CSU does not recognize a forfeit victory in the 1899 contest.

CSU’s victory last season in Fort Collins snapped a three-game losing streak to Wyoming. The Cowboys have still won seven of the past nine matchups.

Injury report

There were no additions to the six players out for the year in this week’s first injury report ahead of Saturday’s games.

Players listed as out for the Border War contest include: offensive lineman Chandler Brown; defensive back Elijah Brown; defensive back Dagan Myers; wide receiver Petey Tucker; and tight end Jaxxon Warren.

When/where: 5:30 p.m. Saturday/War Memorial Stadium

TV/Radio: CBS Sports Network/Rams Radio Network 99.1 FM

CSU +5.5, 46.5 over/under

43 degrees, slightly windy

CSU leads 59-51-5; Wyoming’s won seven of last nine Border Wars, but CSU won last year, 24-10 in Fort Collins

Three storylines

New boss at the helm: After the loss at home to Hawaii last week, CSU fired head coach Jay Norvell, ending his tenure midway through his fourth year. Defensive coordinator Tyson Summers is now the interim head coach, and tight ends coach Grant Chesnut is now the Rams’ offensive coordinator and play-caller. It will be a tall task for Chesnut to revitalize a struggling CSU offense that ranks 10th in the Mountain West at 21.86 points per game. QB Jackson Brousseau and the aerial attack are lagging at just 184.14 yards/game (11th).

Wyoming’s new play-caller: The Cowboys also made a change this week, with head coach Jay Sawvel announcing that Jay Johnson is out as the offensive coordinator, though he will remain on staff as an analyst. Wideout coach Jovon Bouknight is now Wyoming’s OC, and he will be charged with jump-starting an offense that’s been even more anemic than CSU’s at 20 points per game (11th in the Mountain West). Wideout Jaylen Sargent, who has eight catches for 104 yards over the last two games, has been a silver lining.

Westland vs CSU O-Line: Cowboys defensive end Tyce Westland had a career-high 14 tackles last week against Air Force, the most by a Wyoming D-lineman since ex-Bronco Mike Purcell recorded 16 in 2012. Westland is tied for the team lead with 5.5 tackles for loss. He’ll have to be a focus for the inexperienced CSU offensive line, which lost Tanner Morley to a season-ending injury last month and has only one returning starter from 2024. The CSU front has allowed 21 sacks this season, which is tied for 120th out of 134 FBS teams.

Predictions

Kyle Newman, sportswriter: Wyoming 24, CSU 13

New head coach, new coordinator, same result as the Rams’ season continues to spiral. Wyoming freshman running back Samuel “Tote” Harris tears up the CSU defense, even with another double-digit tackling performance by sophomore linebacker Owen Long. On offense, Jackson Brousseau turns in another vanilla performance that might make CSU consider giving redshirt senior Tahj Bullock or redshirt freshman Darius Curry a start next week against UNLV (Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi left the program earlier this week).

Sean Keeler, sports columnist: Wyoming 27, CSU 23

Just another quiet Border War Week in FoCo, right? Jay Norvell is out the door and quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi has left the building. CSU has the element of surprise going for it with new offensive play-caller Grant Chesnut throwing who knows what at the Cowboys. But he’s still heading up to Laramie with Norvell’s guys and with Summers’ defense — which is giving up 41.5 points and 282 rushing yards per game on the road. 2025 Rams MVP candidate Owen Long records 24 tackles as the Pokes run absolutely wild and take back the Bronze Boot.

Matt Schubert, sports editor: Wyoming 20, CSU 17

Neither one of these teams has played all that well in recent weeks. The Pokes have lost four of five, and the Rams have done the same. In a matchup like this, it’s best to pick the team that has an identifiable strength. In this instance, it’s hard to say what that is for CSU. Wyoming, on the other hand, has a defense that’s actually pretty solid. Everything else? Not so much. So, with the Pokes defense shutting down CSU, the offense does just enough to walk away with the Boot. And a painful season in FoCo trudges on.

The Rams on Tuesday announced that the two teams have added a pair of games to their long-running Border War series. They’ll face off on Sept. 5, 2026, at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins and again in 2036 in Laramie, Wyoming.

“Having one of the oldest rivalries in the West that features one of the most iconic trophies in college football continue consecutively is outstanding,” CSU Director of Athletics John Weber said in a news release. “The Boot Run with the game ball, the Border Ceremony and the Bronze Boot Trophy all honor the values and rich ROTC history of both universities and will remain integral to this rivalry for years to come.

“This game is important to our universities, communities and fans, and I am thrilled that we were able to continue it in 2026.”

Planning the perfect Colorado college football road trip in 2025, week by week

Entering the 2025 season, the two teams have played each other 116 times since 1899, with CSU leading the series 60-51-5. The two teams will meet at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 25 in Laramie, marking the 80th consecutive season they will have faced off.

The Rams snapped their three-game losing streak in the series last year, beating the Cowboys 24-10 in Fort Collins.

The series takes a hiatus in 2027 with both teams having full non-conference schedules, "but scheduling adjustments are being worked on," according to the news release. The series will resume in 2028 and continue through 2036.

Which helps explain why it’s so darn difficult to plan a road trip through the area’s inimitable college football venues over the course of a season. Making that task even more challenging this year? The number of fascinating subplots that hover over each program.

Here’s a week-by-week planner for local college football fans to see which teams have the right answers for all of the uncertainty:

Week 1 (Aug. 28-Sept. 1)

West Texas A&M at Western Colorado

When: Aug. 28, 6 p.m.

Where: Mountaineer Bowl, Gunnison

Lowest get-in price as of Week 1 (for an adult, via Western Colorado athletics): $10

Why you can’t miss it: The co-preseason favorites in the RMAC have All-America quarterback Drew Nash on offense and the reigning conference player of the year on the other side of the ball in pass-rushing dynamo Ricky Freymond.

Georgia Tech at Colorado

When: Aug. 29, 6 p.m.

Where: Folsom Field, Boulder

Lowest get-in price as of Week 1 (via SeatGeek): $99

Why you can’t miss it: Deion Sanders’ new-look Buffaloes get the national spotlight in their season opener on a Friday night. If only these two schools could’ve set this up back in 1990, when CU and Georgia Tech split the national championship.

Week 2 (Sept. 4-6)

Northern Colorado at Colorado State

When: Sept. 6, 5 p.m.

Where: Canvas Field, Fort Collins

Lowest get-in price as of Week 1 (SeatGeek): $49

Why you can’t miss it: The Rams might be smarting from a season-opening trip to Washington and need a get-right game. The Bears had just one win in Ed Lamb’s first two seasons, but should be 1-0 after D-II Chadron State visits Greeley.

Week 3 (Sept. 11-13)

Utah at Wyoming

When: Sept. 13, 6 p.m.

Where: War Memorial Stadium, Laramie

Lowest get-in price as of Week 1 (SeatGeek): $114

Why you can’t miss it: The Cowboys have been giant killers at 7,200 feet before, though the Utes look like Big 12 contenders. Expect an incredible atmosphere between these two former WAC rivals.

Week 4 (Sept. 18-20)

Boise State at Air Force

When: Sept. 20, 5 p.m.

Where: Falcon Stadium, Air Force Academy

Lowest get-in price as of Week 1 (SeatGeek): $32

Why you can’t miss it: Wyoming at Colorado is a fun local tilt, but even without Ashton Jeanty, the Broncos look like the class of the Mountain West and possibly a College Football Playoff team again.

Week 5 (Sept. 25-27)

BYU at Colorado

When: Sept. 27, 8:15 p.m.

Where: Folsom Field, Boulder

Lowest get-in price as of Week 1 (SeatGeek): $161

Why you can’t miss it: CSU has a fun future Pac-12 measuring stick game with Washington State in Fort Collins, but this will be a big one under the lights in Boulder. The Cougars smacked around the Buffs in the Alamo Bowl last December, but do they have a quarterback?

Week 6 (Oct. 2-4)

Colorado Mesa at Colorado School of Mines

When: Oct. 4, noon

Where: Marv Kay Stadium, Golden

Lowest get-in price as of Week 1 (via Colorado School of Mines athletics): $5

Why you can’t miss it: The Orediggers should be 4-0, but this will be the first big test of Bob Stitt����ap second stint in charge. The Mavericks’ fourth-quarter comeback win in Grand Junction last year was the beginning of the end of Mines’ RMAC dynasty.

Week 7 (Oct. 9-11)

Fresno State at Colorado State

When: Oct. 10, 7 p.m.

Where: Canvas Stadium, Fort Collins

Lowest get-in price as of Week 1 (SeatGeek): $39

Why you can’t miss it: The Rams didn’t beat any of the top-four teams on their schedule last year, including the Bulldogs. This game could determine if they are going to be Mountain West contenders.

Iowa State at Colorado

When: Oct. 11, TBA

Where: Folsom Stadium, Boulder

Lowest get-in price as of Week 1 (SeatGeek): $109

Why you can’t miss it: The Cyclones should be a contender in the Big 12 this season, and one of the two best teams that visit Boulder. These programs used to play annually in the old Big 12, and the Buffs (49-1-15) dominated.

Week 8 (Oct. 16-18)

Wyoming at Air Force

When: Oct. 18, 1:30 p.m.

Where: Falcon Stadium, Air Force Academy

Lowest get-in price as of Week 1 (SeatGeek): $28

Why you can’t miss it: Both of these teams will be smack in the middle of brutal stretches. Air Force is at Navy and UNLV before this, while the Cowboys will be fresh off a month of Utah, Colorado, UNLV and San Jose State.

Week 9 (Oct. 23-25)

Colorado State at Wyoming

When: Oct. 25, 5:30 p.m.

Where: War Memorial Stadium, Laramie

Lowest get-in price as of Week 1 (SeatGeek): $65

Why you can’t miss it: The Rams prevailed last year, but the Cowboys have won seven of the past nine Border War skirmishes. An added bit of motivation for the Pokes: This is the last time the Bronze Boot will be up for grabs before the Rams head off to the Pac-12.

Week 10 (Oct. 30-Nov. 1)

Army at Air Force

When: Nov. 1, 10 a.m.

Where: Falcon Stadium, Air Force Academy

Lowest get-in price as of Week 1 (SeatGeek): $51

Why you can’t miss it: This looks like the best Saturday of the year. There’s a potential RMAC title showdown between CSU Pueblo and Western Colorado in Gunnison. FCS contender Montana State comes to Greeley. But a Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy tilt, on campus at AFA, should be a thriller.

Week 11 (Nov. 6-8)

UNLV at Colorado State

When: Nov. 8, TBA

Where: Canvas Stadium, Fort Collins

Lowest get-in price as of Week 1 (SeatGeek): $39

Why you can’t miss it: UNLV has a new coach (Dan Mullen) and practically a new roster, but the Rebels are expected to be Boise State’s top competition in the Mountain West once again.

Week 12 (Nov. 13-15)

Chadron State at CSU Pueblo

When: Nov. 15, 1 p.m.

Where: Thunderbowl, Pueblo

Lowest get-in price as of Week 1 (Via CSU Pueblo athletics): $8

Why you can’t miss it: If the ThunderWolves beat Western Colorado in Gunnison, this could wrap up an RMAC title. The Mountaineers are also at home, against Colorado Mesa.

Week 13 (Nov. 20-22)

Arizona State at Colorado

When: Nov. 22, TBA

Where: Folsom Field, Boulder

Lowest get-in price as of Week 1 (SeatGeek): $107

Why you can’t miss it: If this game has real stakes, then Year 3 of the Deion Era will be considered an unqualified success. The Sun Devils were a CFP surprise last year, but won’t sneak up on anyone in 2025.

Week 14 (Nov. 27-29)

Air Force at Colorado State

When: Nov. 28, TBA

Where: Canvas Stadium, Fort Collins

Lowest get-in price as of Week 1 (SeatGeek): $38

Why you can’t miss it: A Black Friday finale. Could this be the last time these two match up for the Ram-Falcon Trophy? With the Rams off to the Pac-12, there are zero future dates on the schedule.

Following that trip, the Rams will play back-to-back home games before traveling to Laramie for the last Border War game until 2028. Wyoming will not be joining Colorado State in the Pac-12, but the schools have agreed to continue their rivalry after a two-year break and play through 2035.

This is the second in a three-part series profiling Colorado State’s 2025 opponents. This second installment focuses on the Rams’ first four Mountain West opponents.

Oct. 3 at San Diego State, 8:30 p.m., in San Diego

San Diego State will join CSU in the Pac-12 beginning in 2026, so the teams’ Mountain West opener against each other this fall won’t be the last between them.

The Aztecs are coming off a 3-9 season. They were 2-5 in the Mountain West. CSU and SDSU did not play last season. They last time they met was in 2023, when the Rams won, 22-19, at Canvas Stadium.

Offensively, last year’s quarterback Danny O’Neill transferred to Wisconsin, but the Aztecs gained two signal callers from the transfer portal, Jayden Denegal from Michigan and Bert Emanuel Jr. from Central Michigan. Each has his own style and can be dangerous in different ways. Jordan Napier is the team’s leading returning receiver, after catching 43 passes with four touchdowns. The Aztecs hope to have improved their receiving corps and running back room through the transfer portal after several contributors from last year left that way.

Edge Trey White was selected as the Mountain West����ap preseason defensive player of the year after totaling 60 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks last season. He will lead the defensive line, while the linebackers will be led by Tano Letuli, who had a team-high 70 tackles last year. Kicker Gabe Plascencia was selected the conference’s special teams player of the year after going 13-for-14 on field goal tries and converting his final 18 PATs after missing his first of the season.

This will be the 38th meeting between the two teams. The Aztecs hold a 22-15 advantage in the series. CSU’s victory in 2023 snapped a two-game losing streak against SDSU.

Oct. 10 vs. Fresno State, 7 p.m., at Canvas Stadium

CSU’s first Mountain West home game will be against another team that will soon join the Pac-12, Fresno State. The Bulldogs were the only team to defeat the Rams in conference play last season.

Fresno State went 6-7 overall and 4-3 in the Mountain West a year ago. The Bulldogs became bowl eligible with their win over CSU and lost to Northern Illinois in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, 28-20.

Under first-year head coach Matt Entz, the Bulldogs will be led offensively by quarterback EJ Warner, a transfer from Rice and son of former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner. Warner will replace Mikey Keene, who transferred to Michigan. Another option for Fresno at quarterback will be Carson Conklin, who threw for 3,620 yards and 34 touchdowns at Sacramento State last season. Elijah Gilliam was the team’s leading rusher last season, going for 466 yards and eight scores. The Bulldogs lost their top three receivers from last season and will rely on some transfers to make plays.

Defensively, Fresno State is led by all-Mountain West preseason defensive back Al’zillion Hamilton, who had 52 tackles and two interceptions last season. The linebacker group will be led by transfer Jadon Pearson, who had 42 tackles last season at Utah State. In the secondary, Simeon Harris returns from injury after coming up with 59 tackles for Utah State two years ago.

Despite losing to the Bulldogs last season, CSU holds a 10-7 advantage in the all-time series. The Rams have lost the past two meetings but won six of seven before that.

Oct. 18 vs. Hawaii, 5 p.m., at Canvas Stadium

CSU will host Hawaii for the first time since 2014 this season, completing another pair of back-to-back games at Canvas Stadium. With the Rainbow Warriors staying in the Mountain West, this will be the last conference game between the two teams.

Hawaii went 5-7 overall and 3-4 in the Mountain West last year, head coach Timmy Chang’s third season.

Offensively, Hawaii is led offensively by a pair of receivers who were named to the Mountain West preseason all-conference team. Pofele Ashlock caught 61 passes for 629 yards and six touchdowns last year, while Nick Cenacle caught 63 passes for 721 yards and six touchdowns. Micah Alejado will lead the team at quarterback after throwing for 585 yards and six touchdowns in four games last season. Most of that (469 yards and five scores) came in the season finale against New Mexico. Landon Sims returns at running back after rushing for 351 yards and a touchdown.

Linebackers Jamih Otis, who led the team with 55 tackles last year, and Logan Taylor, who had 52 tackles, lead the defense. In the secondary, Peter Manuma is back after missing most of last season with an injury. He had 87 tackles and three interceptions two years ago. On the line, Elijah Robinson returns after tying for the team lead with five sacks last season.

This will be the 29th meeting between the two teams. CSU holds a 16-12 advantage in the series. However, the last time the teams met — in Hawaii in 2023 — the Warriors kept the Rams from being bowl eligible with a 27-23 victory in the last week of the season.

Oct. 25 at Wyoming, 5:30 p.m., in Laramie

Before their second bye week of the season, the Rams will look to keep the Bronze Boot in Fort Collins when they play their last game in Laramie until 2029.

The Cowboys are coming off a season in which they won only three games, and only two in the Mountain West, in head coach Jay Sawvel’s first season at Wyoming.

Quarterback Kaden Anderson returns to lead the offense after backing up Evan Svoboda last year. Anderson passed for 955 yards and six touchdowns in nine games. Despite losing much of last year’s receiving corps, several potential playmakers emerged in the spring, including tight end John Michael Gyllenborg, who was second on the team with 30 catches last year, Chris Dorr, and Jaylen Sargent, who averaged close to 21 yards per catch. Sam Scott is back after leading the team with 435 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. The Cowboys also have a pair of preseason all-conference linemen in Caden Barnett and Jack Walsh.

Defensively, Wyoming’s top tacklers from last year are gone, but the team added some via the transfer portal. Among them are linebackers Ethan Stuhlsatz, who had 70 tackles with Lindenwood last year, and Brayden Johnson, who had a 71-tackle, 7.5-tackle-for-loss season at Oklahoma Baptist. Jayden Williams returns to lead the defensive line, while the Cowboys had to add transfers in their secondary.

The Rams and Cowboys began playing in 1899. CSU holds a 59-51-5 advantage in the series. The Rams snapped a three-game losing streak to Wyoming with last year’s 24-10 victory at Canvas Stadium.

I wasn’t initially planning to tell this story, but it has felt relevant to me throughout a compelling NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers.

It happened after Game 1 in OKC, when the Nuggets pulled off a heist for the ages. Chet Holmgren’s missed free throws and Aaron Gordon’s game-winning 3-pointer in the ensuing chaos had sent my game story into a death spiral. (I refuse to read whatever my fingers regurgitated in those next 90 seconds to make deadline. Please read this piece I wrote about Gordon later that night instead, with fantastic insight from someone who factors prominently in the story I’m about to tell.)

The visiting locker room was understandably buzzing with excitement. Two nights after facing elimination in the first round, Denver suddenly possessed a series lead against the No. 1 overall seed in the NBA Playoffs. I was standing in the doorway, waiting on postgame interviews, when Makalah Emanuel of the Nuggets’ media relations staff approached me to talk trash, all in good fun. “What is it you wrote? Thunder in five?”

It’s true. In our Denver Post staff predictions for the series, I went with a 4-1 OKC victory. Without really thinking, I replied to Makalah with a smart-aleck comment, something along the lines of “still technically possible.”

Turns out Nuggets guard Christian Braun was rounding the corner into the locker room as this exchange occurred. He overheard the whole thing.

Anyone who’s ever covered a team will tell you that accountability to the people you cover is important. When part of our job is to hold athletes, coaches and executives accountable, then it’s only fair to make ourselves available to them if and when they take exception to something written.

Braun is a consummate pro when it comes to the media, always gracious with his time after wins or losses, honest about his goals and quick to own up to mistakes. I’ll even admit that he was a good sport when I taunted him a few months ago, after my alma mater’s basketball team (Missouri) pulled off an upset against his (Kansas, ranked No. 1 in the country at the time, might I add) in their annual Border War rivalry game.

Point is, Braun had every right to give me a hard time about my prediction, and he did. In particular, he was offended by my rationalization that “Thunder in five” was still on the table. He had a point there: Stealing Game 1 on the road had pretty much eviscerated any pre-conceived notion that it would be a short series.

Nonetheless, I owned it. I explained to him that my pick was an objective assessment that didn’t have anything to do with doubting Denver’s capabilities; it was really based on how dominant the Thunder had been all season, not to mention how rested they were after a first-round sweep.

And in the interest of being a good sport, I agreed to a deal he suggested to hold me accountable: If the Nuggets won the series, I was to wear a KU shirt to five future practices — one for each game I predicted the series would last. I told him I would take no pleasure in being right and that I would gladly accept being proven wrong, even if I couldn’t stomach the idea of wearing enemy apparel. (What even is a Jayhawk?)

You know what happened next. The Nuggets fought valiantly against a team that won 18 more games than them. They briefly took an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 4, with an opportunity to go up 3-1 in the series. But Oklahoma City was overwhelming. Its role players bombarded Denver’s zone with timely 3s. Its defense and depth finally prevailed in Game 7, back at the scene of the Game 1 crime.

The Nuggets were obviously disappointed in defeat, but they also allowed themselves to feel proud of their playoff run under unusual circumstances. I admitted to Braun that my prediction was still off-base.

Two thoughts kept swirling in my head throughout the Finals. One is that OKC continued to feel inevitable to me while watching a series play out in eerie lockstep with the second round. Indiana completely hoodwinked the Thunder in Game 1 with a fourth-quarter comeback and a last-second shot created out of advantageous disorganization. The Thunder won Game 2 convincingly, fell behind 2-1 on the road and trailed by seven in the fourth quarter of Game 4.

Then just when you thought inexperience or whatever else had caught up, the Thunder pounced and the series was tied. Home-court advantage was restored. Momentum, reversed. Control, returned to the better team on paper. Sound familiar?

As well as they had played, I was never convinced for a second that the Pacers were going to finish the job in Game 4. And that wasn’t an indictment of them. It wasn’t disrespect. They’ve been the most enjoyable playoff team to watch this year, a unique and deserving Eastern Conference champion. But the Thunder just felt inevitable. I haven’t been able to shake that feeling at any point this season. Game 4 underscored that “OKC in five” was all about that feeling — not about the Nuggets.

The other thought was that regardless of outcome, Indiana joined Denver in proving me wrong. Entering the Finals, I thought a sweep was far more likely than a six- or seven-gamer. Instead, two somewhat overlooked playoff teams have now revealed a glimpse of mortality beneath OKC’s record-setting exterior. I’m fascinated by the extent to which the young Thunder will be regarded as a juggernaut this offseason, as other contenders assess their 2026 championship potential.

Was this 2015 Golden State, a burgeoning power that’ll feel even more insurmountable a year from now? Or another Finals team vulnerable enough to regress in the era of parity?

With my playoff picks, I’ve been forecasting the former. But after watching the Nuggets and Pacers put up such convincing fights, anyone would be justified in believing 2026 is still wide open. Maybe I was wrong in the grand scheme of things, too. Or maybe Oklahoma City will feel inevitable for the next half-decade.

Either way, at least I’ve avoided the humiliation of that Kansas shirt.