FORT COLLINS — For decades, Labor Day weekend was reserved for a different kind of rivalry in the state of Colorado.

When Colorado and Colorado State met nearly every year from 1985 to 2019, the Rocky Mountain Showdown was often the first game of the season for both programs. 

As the Rams begin the 2026 season, though, it’s the other archrival — Wyoming — on Saturday (4 p.m. USA Network) at Canvas Stadium.

It will be the first time since 1964 that the Border War will be the first game of the season for both programs. It’ll be just the second September meeting in over 40 years. 

It’s a game that typically means fall is here, often with frigid temperatures or other severe weather playing a factor. After all, who could forget the snow game in 2017 when Wyoming rallied for a 16-13 win in Laramie?

The temperature will be near 90 degrees when things kick off between two foes no longer in the same conference, but that doesn’t make it any less special.

In a way, there might not be a better way for the Rams to go headfirst into a new era — in the Pac-12 and with coach Jim Mora taking over — than welcoming the Cowboys to town for what is likely to be a packed house.

“I don’t think there’s a better week to play this game, honestly,” junior defensive lineman Jack Moran, a legacy player, told The Denver Gazette.

Moran added it’s weird not having the usual amount of game film to study every detail of Wyoming’s team, but that adds another layer to this rare game that will be the only Week 1 Border War matchup for the foreseeable future, even with the two teams set to continue playing annually as nonconference opponents.

There are new coordinators and lots of roster turnover in both programs and while the Pokes have named William & Mary transfer Tyler Hughes as their starting quarterback, Mora is sticking with his plan to not do the same and he insists it’s not a rivalry week ploy.

“It’s not to be coy, it’s not to be cute,” Mora said. “It’s certainly not to mislead the people that support CSU. I don’t understand why you would ever want to give your opponent a competitive advantage. That’s strictly it. If I could whisper in the ears of every CSU fan who the starting quarterback was gonna be and be certain that it wasn’t gonna get to anybody at Wyoming, we’d probably do that. But that’s just not reality. It’s not for any other reason than that.”

Mora is trying his best to keep his coaches and players level-headed going into his first game in charge of the Rams. He’s been hearing about this game since he arrived back in December, but part of the reason CSU made him the highest-paid coach in the new-look Pac-12 is because of his even-keeled nature that has led to impressive turnarounds at UCLA and UConn.

“It is my experience that the best thing you can do in any game, so that you avoid the ups and downs during a season that you see with teams, is to keep it about us and not about the things that we can’t control, the noise that’s outside,” Mora said. “I’ve been involved with some pretty significant rivalries and I always thought the best thing we could do was just be the best we can be on that day.”

For just one day, though, the only thing that matters to CSU fans is being better than the team from Laramie. It has all the makings of the perfect start to a new era of Rams football. They just have to go out and execute. 

“I think it’ll be a great opportunity to showcase our talents and I’m really excited not just for our football team, just the community of Fort Collins and for the students,” CSU cornerbacks coach and former player Trent Matthews told The Denver Gazette. “I know it’s gonna be sold out and that’s what you want as a college player.”

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King’s Prediction

Colorado State 24, Wyoming 14

While Mora won’t name a starter, it feels like dynamic Oklahoma State transfer Hauss Hejny will be the guy for CSU and that should allow the Rams to utilize an explosive rushing attack to control the tempo while hitting on a big play or two early to get the Canvas Stadium crowd fired up. A key takeaway in the third quarter will allow CSU to get some breathing room and it’ll pull away later to begin this new era 1-0. 

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King’s Players to Watch

Colorado State: TE Juice Vereen, LB Oumar Diomande

It shouldn’t be a surprise that two UConn transfers have a chance to make an instant impact. Vereen might be the most talented player on the Rams offense and the big tight end is feeling healthy going into the season after ranking second on his team last year with five touchdowns. Defensively, Diomande was a productive player a year ago for the Huskies and he’s the linchpin for Tyson Summers’ unit as a whole. The athletic, physical linebacker will be important against the Wyoming rushing attack.

Wyoming: RB Samuel Harris, S Jones Thomas

Speaking of the Pokes’ ground game, Harris is a big play waiting to happen and Wyoming’s ability to hang onto him this past offseason can’t be overlooked. He had over 100 yards in a game at Colorado last September and should be the focal point of his team’s offensive game plan. On defense, there are plenty of unknowns with a lot of new faces, but Thomas ranked third on the team in tackles last season and the Fort Collins native will be eager to make plays from the start.