Rocky Mountain Showdown moved to Friday, Aug. 31

The Colorado Buffaloes football season opener against in-state rival Colorado State has been moved to August 31, per an agreement between both schools. The 90^th edition of the Rocky Mountain Showdown was originally scheduled on Saturday, September 1 before the final announcement on Thursday.

The move allows the game to be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network, and marks the 24^th straight year the rivalry broadcast on a regional or national network. It’s also the 18^th time the Buffs and Rams meet in Denver, where CU holds a commanding 11-6 edge in the series. Colorado is 4-1 against Colorado State during coach Mike MacIntyre’s tenure, with the only loss coming in 2014.

According to CU’s Dave Plati, “It will be the eighth game in CU football history that will be played in the month of August, with the Buffs owning a 3-3-1 record in those contests, including a 2-2 mark with the Rams. Colorado’s first game with an August date came in 1990, when he Buffaloes and Tennessee battled to a 31-31 tie in the Disneyland Pigskin Classic on August 26.”

After the Rocky Mountain Showdown, the Buffs travel to Lincoln, Neb on Sept. 8 to renew a ‘home-and-home’ series with Nebraska. The last time the teams played each other was in 2010 as members of the Big 12 conference. Nebraska holds a 49-18-2 advantage over Colorado going back over a century to 1898. They’ll come back to Boulder the following week for a first-ever meeting with FCS powerhouse New Hampshire.