FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Great teams make for great games. But the best ingredient for a great game is some good old-fashioned hate.
Colorado State University and Wyoming have plenty of hate to spare. Friday night marks the 116th meeting between the two teams in the classic Border War game.
"It's one of the oldest rivalries in the West," said CSU athletic director John Weber. "Both communities being so close to each other, right across the border, there's a little attitude to it.”
Officially, the Rams lead the series 58-51-5. But there's a discrepancy in the records, which started in the very first matchup.
It was on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 30, 1899, in Laramie, Wyoming. At the time, CSU was the Colorado Agricultural School and was known as the Aggies. After a series of controversial calls, CSU walked off the field, despite leading the game.
At first, both teams claimed victory, but it officially went down as a forfeit win for the Rams. In 2009, the NCAA said it wouldn't recognize forfeited games that were incomplete, so the Rams lost a W in the win column.
Although it was a disappointing ending to the first battle, it was the perfect setup for a century of beef.
In 1968, the two schools began a new tradition. The winner of the Border War game wouldn't just take home bragging rights, they'd also capture the coveted Bronze Boot.
The boot was worn by Army veteran Daniel Romero, a Pueblo resident who served in Vietnam. Romero offered the boot after he returned home and was assigned to the ROTC program at CSU.
The Bronze Boot quickly became one of the most famous trophies in college football. Each year an ROTC detachment from the visiting team escorts the boot to the border, where it's handed off to an ROTC group from the home team and taken the remaining distance.
Thursday afternoon, CSU's detachment picked up the boot on Highway 287 and took it to Canvas Stadium.
“This is the best tradition in college football," said Weber. "The entire tradition around this series is incredibly important, and it's incredibly exciting to play for.”
This year, the tradition featured a small twist. The 2024 run went through Old Town Fort Collins, where it was welcomed by the CSU spirit squad and band. The game ball arrived at CSU's field shortly after and will be guarded overnight by the ROTC.
CSU and Wyoming will face off two more times as Mountain West foes, first at this year's Border War game and once more in 2025. CSU will move to the Pac-12 in 2026, and the series will be dormant for the next two years.
However, good old-fashioned hate doesn't die so easily. The schools announced Thursday morning that the rivalry will continue despite the difference in conference.
"This game is important to our universities, communities, and fans. And I am thrilled that this historic rivalry will continue," said Weber.
The schools agreed to eight more games out of conference between 2028 and 2035. The eight contests will switch off home campuses, with CSU hosting the Cowboys during the even seasons at Canvas Stadium.
- 2028 – 9/23 at CSU
- 2029 – 9/22 at WYO
- 2030 – 9/7 at CSU
- 2031 – 9/20 at WYO
- 2032 – 9/25 at CSU
- 2033 – 9/24 at WYO
- 2034 – 9/23 at CSU
- 2035 – 9/22 at WYO
The Rams are 6-3 in 2024 and have already clinched bowl eligibility for the first time since 2017. They will host Wyoming on Friday night at 6 p.m.
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