Six games added to Rocky Mountain Showdown series

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Colorado and Colorado State have agreed to play each other six more times in the Rocky Mountain Showdown rivalry, all of them on campus.

The agreement announced Tuesday means the rivals 45 miles apart will play eight times in the next 18 years.

The series, which is on hiatus for the next two years, resumes in 2023 in Boulder, followed in 2024 by the Buffaloes' first visit to Fort Collins since 1996.

Last year's game in Fort Collins was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The new deal adds games at CU’s Folsom Field in 2030, 2033 and 2037 and games at CSU’s Canvas Stadium in 2029, 2034 and 2038.

Colorado leads the all-time series 67-22-2, including 13-6 in Denver, where 19 of the last 22 games have been played.

“This has been a great series for the state, and we wanted to be sure we had games locked in moving forward,” Colorado athletic director Rick George said. “The two-on, two-off format we’ve adopted provides both schools some flexibility to schedule other nonconference opponents in other parts of the country, which play a role in several factors, including alumni engagement and recruiting."

CSU athletic director Joe Parker said, "It was also essential to get the Showdown back on campus. College football is best enjoyed in on-campus venues, and I’m thrilled we were able to get that done for fans of both teams for the foreseeable future.”