Colorado and Colorado State have met in football for 20 consecutive seasons and 88 times overall. But the annual series could be coming to an end, according to Colorado athletic director Rick George.
George told The Denver Post Wednesday that it’s in Colorado’s “best interest” to play the game at campus stadiums and not on an annual basis.
“I think our best interest is to move games under the contract to campus sites and then, after 2020, I’m not sure (the series) is in our best interest, and that’s why at this point I wouldn’t extend it,” George said.
Colorado and Colorado State entered into a new agreement in 2009 that extended the series through the 2020 season. The games from 2010 through 2019 were set for Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, while the final game in 2020 is to be played at Colorado State’s on-campus stadium, Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins.
Rick George has even attempted to move all remaining games scheduled in Denver (2015-19) to campus site, but Colorado State and the Denver Broncos have apparently not budged on the issue.
“We have approached all parties to bring the games back on campus and we have not been able (to accomplish that),” George said. “We have a contract (through 2020) and we will honor that.”
Colorado wants to move the “Rocky Mountain Showdown” with Colorado State to campus stadiums for a few reasons. First, he says that’s what the majority of fans and season ticket holders want.
Second, Colorado and all other Pac-12 teams have a scheduling imbalance due to the conference playing a nine-game schedule. Every other year, each Pac-12 team has only four conference games at home, which leaves them with the need to schedule a minimum of two non-conference home games to get to six.
And to get seven home games, like most programs want for additional revenue and budget concerns, they would have to schedule three non-conference games at home.
Colorado can’t do that when they play Colorado State in Denver each season. They also aren’t getting maximum revenue out of the neutral-site game due to low ticket sales.
After learning of Colorado’s position on the matter, Colorado State interim athletic director John Morris weighed in.
“CSU is ready to compete in this storied rivalry well beyond 2020, but it takes two teams to compete,” Morris told the Reporter-Herald.
Morris further stated that Colorado State would be open to negotiations, including rotating the game between Fort Collins, Boulder, and Denver, but they would not agree to a two-for-one.
“No, we cannot agree to two games in Boulder and one in Fort Collins,” Morris said. “It would have to be a fair agreement.”
Hopefully Colorado and Colorado State will come to an agreement and continue to play even if it has to be every other year or on a site rotating basis. College football has already lost a few rivalry games due to realignment (Texas-Texas A&M, Kansas-Missouri). We’d hate to see another one fall by the wayside.
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Yes, would hope this series could continue, but I do see Colorado's point. CSU would have to be their only non-conference road game every other year. It would prevent them from playing anyone else on the road short of having only 6 home games some seasons.
Colorado would not have agreed to the terms set thru 2020 now. The deal was made in 2009 when Colorado was in B12 when they still had 12 teams and played 8 conf games. Even if Colorado was in a 10 team B12 they deal would not be agreed to. The deal is bad for Colorado with 9 game conf schedule.
Why CSU is enamored with a low ticket sales neutral site over switching to pure home and home thru 2020 is weird. Even in the quote CSU still wantsa rotation including home, home and neutral.
So CU has lost the Nebraska rivalry to conference realignment. They're thinking about ditching the big in-state rivalry. The closest thing to a rival in the PAC 12 is Utah. It's hard to generate excitement for a team without some measure of rivalry and history. It'd be a shame to flush away all the tradition in pursuit of money.
Colorado and Nebraska have a 4 game series set. Calling it a rivalry is being generous since Nebraska leads 49-18-2..over the last 20 it;s 15-4-1 for Nebraska. This was hardly a pinnacle rivalry like OU/ nebraska which in most years decided the old Big 8 and who was going to the orange bowl
Colorado State is on the way up. The Buffalo on the way down. Colorado would be wise not to mess with this in-state rivalry. The Buffalo pressuring the Rams into changing the contract to 2-for-1 deals is pure ego.
But indeed rotating it to the campus sites (and every third year in Mile High) makes sense. Games on campus are best. Why the previous AD's contract for all the games off-campus? I have to ask who made off well in those contract negotiations?
The question now is how much would the two Colorado teams have to pay the Broncos to buyout from playing every year at Mile-High?
CU wanting the game to be on-campus makes sense, I don't see Michigan and Michigan State having any desire to play at Ford Field against one another, although OSU does use their state's pro stadiums are a fairly regular basis to play in-state teams.
True that OSU does play at pro stadiums in their state but they only do that when they are the "visiting" team.
Do Buff fans enjoy those home-and-homes with San Jose St, Fresno St and Mass more than the CSU rivalry? Not.
The Colorado AD is covering up for his inability to contract a P5 to a home-and-home since entering the Pac12 in 2011. Epic fail! Moving from the B12 to P12 is his old excuse for Colorado's non-conference scheduling impotency.
Colorado should keep the in-state rivalry with the Rams going, while scheduling Nebraska as much as possible. Both can be done.
But get the CU-CSU game back on campus.
Ego> tradition? Ego killed aTm/UT, Kansas/Missouri, Utah/BYU etc.
Rivalry games are typically kept on campus for a reason. So fans can immerse in the total rivalry experience. And of course for the economic incentive. Playing the game in a neutral pro stadium significantly waters the experience down.
Ohio St doesn't have any in-state rivalries although they do often schedule a MAC team but not to a home-and-home. Last such game in a pro stadium was 2009 vs Toledo (in Cleveland). But that is not a rivalry (although I'm sure Toledo would like it to be, if nothing else but for the big pay day every season and not needing to travel far. But Toledo fans acquiring tix for that game was a difficult exercise).
But the point here is Ohio State very rarely plays a road game outside of the horseshoe with a non-power program, but will sell out anywhere a game is played. Colorado does not, even when the game is played just a few miles out of town.
The Rocky Mountain Showdown must continue!
The only 2 road nonconf gms I can remember Ohio St playing are @Cal in 2013, @Miami FL in 2011, and @ VT in 2015, and @ Navy in 2014
@Evan
Are you 16 years old and just started watching CFB to make such a statement.
Ohio State has a solid P5 home-and-home schedule. 14-15 VT; 16-17 Okla; 18-19 TCU; 20-21 Oregon; 22-23 Texas; 22-23 ND; 23-24 BC
As you can see the Buckeyes are willing to schedule home-and-homes with programs around the country. Same is true for Texas, UCLA, Oregon, Stanford, USC, LSU, Tennessee, Michigan St, Nebraska, Wisconsin, TCU, Miami-Fl, and Virginia.
Much different for Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Texas A&M, and the two Missi's, and [cough] Baylor.
Texas A&M schedules home and home series around the nation... they also have neutral site games with Arkansas and with Arizona State next year. A&M also have a home and home with UCLA and Clemson on their future schedule.
The Navy game was not a road game. It was on a neutral site.
The Cal, VT, and Miami are from P5 conference, not a non-power conference.
The point is Ohio State doesn't schedule home-and-homes with G5 programs.
Sec never even travels out of their stadium let alone to dominant Resource 5 teams. Georgia and South Carolina will usually schedule a couple of Resource 5 teams a year. Plus Sec only plays 8 conference games.
Really? Auburn played at K State, Arkansas visited Texas Tech and Tennessee traveled to Oklahoma ion 2014. Guess you missed those
@Phil B, you are missing his point. First off, the fact that you can name all of the P5 non-conference games is a joke. (Don't forget WVU). Second, all of the teams from a 14 team conference that don't play a P5 end up playing some scrub combo of FCS and Sunbelt games. Third, the SEC only plays 8 conference games. Fourth, if an SEC team wants to go to a bowl game, all they have to do is go 2-6 in their conference. WOW. Any team with a losing conference record shouldn't go to a bowl game.
So in conclusion, the SEC's schedule is weak, and they were proven to be overrated in the new era of CFP.