FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Great teams make great games. But the best ingredient for a great game is good old-fashioned hate.

Colorado State University and Wyoming you have a lot of hate to spare. Friday night marks the 116th meeting between the two teams in the classic Border War game.

“It’s one of the oldest rivalries in the West,” CSU athletic director John Weber said. “Both communities being so close to each other, right across the border, there’s a bit of an attitude towards it.”

Image courtesy of Colorado State University.

Officially, the Rams lead the series 58-51-5. But there is a discrepancy in the records, which started from the very first match.

It was on Thanksgiving Day, November 30, 1899, in Laramie, Wyoming. At the time, CSU was the Colorado Agricultural School and was known as the Aggies. After a series of controversial calls, CSU left the field despite leading the game.

At first, both teams claimed the win, but it officially went down as a forfeit win for the Rams. In 2009, the NCAA said it would not recognize forfeits that were incomplete, so the Rams lost a W in the win column.

While it was a disappointing end to the first battle, it was the perfect setup for a century of beef.

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In 1968, the two schools began a new tradition. The winner of the Frontier War game would not only take home the bragging rights, but also capture the coveted The bronze boot.

The boot was worn by Army veteran Daniel Romero, a Pueblo resident who served in Vietnam. Romero was given the boot after he returned home and was assigned to the ROTC program at CSU.

The Bronze Boot has quickly become one of the most recognizable trophies in college football. Each year, an ROTC detachment from the visiting team escorts the boot to the border, where it is handed off to an ROTC group from the home team and taken the remaining distance.

Sam Peña

On Thursday afternoon, the CSU squad picked up the trunk from Highway 287 and took it to Canvas Stadium.

“This is the best tradition in college football,” Weber said. “The whole tradition around this series is incredibly important and it’s incredibly exciting to play for.”

This year, the tradition presented a slight twist. The 2024 race passed through Old Town Fort Collins, where it was greeted by the CSU spirit team and band. The game ball arrived shortly after on the CSU field and will be guarded overnight by the ROTC.

CSU and Wyoming will face off twice more as Mountain West foes, first in this year’s Border War game and again in 2025. CSU will move to the Pac-12 in 2026, and the series will be dormant for the next two years.

However, good old-fashioned hate doesn’t die so easily. The schools announced Thursday morning that the rivalry will continue despite the conference difference.

“This game is important to our universities, communities and fans. And I’m excited that this historic rivalry will continue.” Weber said.

The schools have agreed to eight more non-conference games between 2028 and 2035. The eight contests will stop home campuses, with CSU hosting the Cowboys during back-to-back seasons at Canvas Stadium.

• 2028 – 9/23 at CSU
• 2029 – 9/22 at WYO
• 2030 – 9/7 at CSU
• 2031 – 9/20 at WYO
• 2032 – 9/25 at CSU
• 2033 – 9/24 at WYO
• 2034 – 9/23 at CSU
• 2035 – 9/22 at WYO

The Rams are 6-3 in 2024 and have already clinched bowl eligibility for the first time since 2017. They will host Wyoming on Friday night at 6 p.m.