BYU’s return to Colorado State has stirred up more than a little curiosity in Fort Collins, and one local outlet is already wondering whether the Cougars could wind up being the biggest name ever to take the field at Canvas Stadium.
That’s a notable twist for a series that once felt like it might be over for good. When BYU left the Mountain West after the 2010-11 academic year and went independent in football, Colorado State was one of the schools most bothered by the breakup. The Rams had just taken a 49-10 beating from the Cougars in 2010, and there was real doubt at the time about whether the two programs would meet again in any sport.
“It’s unfortunate,” then-CSU athletic director Paul Kowalczyk told the Denver Post on Aug. 31, 2010.
“I hate to see BYU go, on one hand. But, on the other hand, the Mountain West is a strong conference with the recent additions of Nevada, Fresno State and Boise State.
It puts us in a position as a conference to get better and have a BCS (Bowl Championship Series) shot.”
Fast-forward to Sept. 25, 2024, and the schools agreed to a two-game football series, with the first meeting coming next month in Fort Collins and the second set for 2029 in Provo. Time, apparently, has taken the edge off.
Not everyone in Fort Collins has forgotten the old pain, though. BYU still owns the series, 39-27-3, and the first meeting dates all the way back to 1922, when CSU won 33-0.
The Coloradoan leaned into the matchup this week after BYU landed at No. 15 in the USA Today College Football Preseason Coaches Poll on Tuesday morning. Its headline asked: “Will BYU be best team to ever play at Colorado State’s Canvas Stadium?” The story, written by CSU beat writer Kevin Lytle, called the Sept. 19 game a “showdown with former league rival and big national brand BYU.”
The timing makes the question fair enough. Canvas Stadium opened in 2017 and is celebrating its 10th year.
BYU will first have to handle Utah Tech on Sept. 5 and then Arizona on Sept. 12, a team projected as a Big 12 title contender, before it ever gets to Fort Collins. So the Cougars may not arrive as a 2-0 top-15 team.
Still, the benchmark in the stadium’s short history is already on the board. The highest-ranked visitor to play at Canvas Stadium was No. 14 Utah State in 2018, and the Aggies escaped with a 29-24 win after what the Coloradoan described as “a controversial call to wipe off a Hail Mary touchdown on the final play.”
The Coloradoan also ran through the “best team” to visit Canvas Stadium in each of the last nine seasons, while noting that the “‘best’ moniker is debatable” in plenty of those cases. Last year’s answer was UNLV, which beat CSU 42-10 and finished 10-4. In 2024, Colorado was the top team on the list, and the Buffaloes handled CSU 28-9 at Canvas en route to a 9-4 season and a Heisman Trophy for two-way player Travis Hunter.
Colorado’s season also included a fourth and final loss, a 36-14 defeat to BYU in the Alamo Bowl.
In Other News...
BYU Fall Camp Roster Changes Already Shaped A Few Key Battles
BYUs first day of fall camp brought more than the usual reset on the depth chart. The Cougars released an updated roster that included a handful of roster changes, from position switches and jersey number updates to weight adjustments that hint at how some battles will be framed once the pads come on. A few younger players also showed up heavier than they did in spring camp, which is often one of the quieter signs that offseason work has started to show up in August.
The roster shuffle also came with some departures and status changes, the kind that can alter how a camp opens even before the first real practice rep is logged. Several players were removed or retired, while others will be accounted for later after stepping away from the program for outside obligations. For a staff trying to sort out roles quickly, those changes matter, because every update to the roster is really an update to the competition. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs First Fall Practice Brought A Different Feeling This Time
The first day of fall practice carried a different tone around BYU football this time, with Kalani Sitake sounding encouraged by where his team stood as camp opened. The head coach pointed to better speed across the roster and more continuity on the coaching staff, two ingredients that should help the Cougars settle in faster than they did a year ago.
LJ Martin also saw a group that seems to know exactly what it is chasing, even as the offense adjusts to life without some key receivers. The running back said there is motivation inside the room and room for the attack to take another step, giving BYU a positive base to build on as it moves deeper into camp and starts sorting out how all the pieces fit. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Left Tackle Battle Just Got More Interesting This Spring
Paki Finau arrived at BYU with a clear sense of why he wanted to be there. After two seasons at Washington, the transfer offensive lineman made the Cougars his top destination because of his connection with offensive line coach TJ Woods, and once he visited campus and spent time around the team, he was sold on the fit. Since then, Finau has jumped into spring practice and has been working his way into the conversation at left tackle.
The spring competition has only gotten more intriguing as Finau settles in and starts drawing positive feedback from coaches and teammates. BYU knew it was adding a player with experience, but the bigger question now is how quickly he can translate that trust into a real edge in a crowded battle for the spot. The Cougars have options there, and Finau's presence has made the fight for the job one worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]