Colorado State vs PAC-12 Canceled

Late last week, the Big Ten and shortly after the PAC-12, announced they would be canceling all out of conferences contests. They are the first dominoes to fall as there will likely be many more conferences to make similar announcements in the near future. I have discussed how the ruling will affect San Jose State and Utah State, but today we will be looking at how Colorado State will fare. The Rams were scheduled to open their season with back-to-back PAC-12 games, the first being against Colorado in Week 1 at home then Oregon State Week 2 on the road.

Unlike the aforementioned Mountain West programs, Colorado State will actually be breaking even due to the announcement rather than losing money. Colorado had been expecting a $1 million dollar payday from the Rams for their matchup in Fort Collins on September 5th. The game was the last in a 10-year agreement which included a guaranteed payment to CU. However, their contract contained an “impossibility” clause that relinquishes either party from any contractual agreements should their program’s conference forbid the game from being conducted for whatever reason.

The Rocky Mountain Showdown has been played 91 total times with the Buffaloes owning 67 wins to the Rams 22 (the series also has two ties). Colorado is currently on a five-game win streak with their latest victory being last season at home, 52-31.

The money CSU is recouping from their game against Colorado is going toward filling their deficit from their bout with Oregon State. The Beavers and Rams contest was the second in a two-game home-and-home series that began in 2017. Their contract also included a similar impossibility clause, allowing OSU to withhold their $1 million dollar premium to Colorado State.

History between the two sides is slim with just three meetings under their belt. CSU has a 2-1 advantage over the Oregon State and rose victorious in their most recent matchup in 2017, 58-27. The Beavers wanted to redeem themselves after the thrashing they faced a few years ago but will now have to put those plans on hold.

CSU still has out of conference meetings scheduled against Northern Colorado (home) and Vanderbilt (away), but the status of both games are doubtful. There is a great deal of uncertainty entering the season, but as of right now we will still be able to watch the Rams compete in some limited capacity in 2020.

Stay tuned for any further announcements and news regarding the Mountain West Conference and stay safe during these unprecedented times!