Colorado and Kansas State have spent more than a century building a lopsided series, but the Wildcats have owned the recent stretch. That tension is what makes Saturday’s Oct. 31 meeting in Boulder worth a close look: Colorado is trying to snap a two-game skid against one of the opponents it has handled better than almost anyone else.
The Buffaloes still hold the edge in the series, 45-22-1, and their work at home has been especially strong. Colorado is 28-6 against Kansas State in Boulder, and that home advantage has helped keep the overall numbers tilted in the Buffaloes’ favor even as Kansas State has won the last two matchups.
Those most recent defeats came after Colorado returned to the Big 12. Kansas State beat the Buffaloes 31-28 at Folsom Field in 2024, then followed that up with a 24-14 win in Manhattan last November. A Colorado victory on Saturday would be its first over Kansas State since 2010.
That last win came on Nov. 20, 2010, when Colorado took a 44-36 decision in Boulder. The teams then went a long time without seeing each other again, with the rivalry dormant until 2024, when Kansas State edged Colorado by three points at Folsom Field.
Even with the recent losses, the Buffaloes have had success in the broader run of the matchup. Kansas State leads the last 10 meetings 6-4, but the series in Boulder is dead even at 16-16-1, which is a big reason Colorado’s all-time advantage remains intact.
The rivalry itself goes back well over a century. Kansas State won the first meeting, 14-6, on Nov.
16, 1912. Colorado’s longest run of dominance came later, when it rattled off 10 straight wins from 1954 through 1963.
The Buffaloes’ biggest statement in the series came on Nov. 17, 1990, when they crushed Kansas State 64-3 in Boulder. Colorado also put together seven straight wins from 1985 through 1992 before the teams played to a 16-16 tie in 1993.
Saturday’s Halloween game will be the 69th meeting between the programs, with Colorado aiming for its 46th series win.
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