Colorado University Athletics
CU-Colorado State Football Returning To Denver In 2010
August 31, 2009 | Football
Fans, due to unforseen technical issues, we were not able to stream today's press conference live. We will have it up in its entirety on delayed basis later today. We apologize for the inconvenience.
DENVER - University of Colorado Athletic Director Mike Bohn and his counterpart at Colorado State University, Paul Kowalczyk, announced jointly Monday that the next 10 games in their football series known as the Rocky Mountain Showdown beginning in 2010 will be played at INVESCO Field at Mile High in Denver.
The two schools open the 2009 season against each other this Sunday at Folsom Field in Boulder. CU exercised its option to move this game back to campus from Denver to secure its desired six home games per season, satisfying everything from season ticket holders' wishes for that many games to sponsorship obligations, club seat and suite contracts and the positive economic impact to many businesses in Boulder.
"This seven-game model on the front range is integral to our long term competitive and financial strength of the program," Bohn said. "We are most appreciative of the leadership from the City of Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, and the support of the Denver Broncos Organization and the Metro Denver Sports Commission who are committed to providing our loyal supporters, fans, student-athletes, coaches and CU students with a high quality game day experience.
"Additionally, the senior leadership teams from both institutions have provided a vision to collaborate in efforts to feature higher education initiatives and accomplishments of both universities in what will be billed as college game week festivities. We will also work to address issues such as parking that have surfaced previously to further enhance the experience of all those who attend."
Eight of the games in Denver will take place on college football's opening weekend. The two exceptions are in 2011 and 2015 when CU will open the season on the road at Hawaii. These games were scheduled as season openers due to the lag time that is created when traveling seven hours to and from the islands. The least effect on the team is at either end of the season, and with the Big 12 Championship game permanently on the back end, CU will open in Hawaii in 2011 (Sept. 3) and 2015 (Sept. 5). In those years, CU already has contracts calling to host California (Sept. 10, 2011) and Washington (Sept. 12, 2015), thus why the CSU game date those two seasons is in mid-September.
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Otherwise, details of the contract, the fourth between the two for games in the Mile High City, are similar to those in the past. Game tickets will be split on a 55 percent basis to CU and 45 percent to CSU, with the same revenue split from club seats and suites for INVESCO events from their owners who purchase the option to attend the CU-CSU game. The schools will provide some promotional tickets to the Metro Denver Sports Commission.
Television rights are the property of the designated home team, official assignments will be from the conference of the home team, and the home designate will also coordinate all credentials for the schools, officials, dignitaries and the media.
One unique fact about the game being in Denver is that while other neutral site games are becoming en vogue, CU-CSU remains the only one where fans from both schools have less than an hour's drive to get to the stadium.
CU's commitment to host six home games every season at Folsom is solidified for the next 10 years. For that to happen over the length of this new agreement, 20 of the 30 non-conference games the Buffaloes will schedule over the next decade will have to be in Boulder (CU annually plays four home Big 12 Conference games). The challenge is that of those 20 non-league home games, CU must find 10 opponents willing to come to Boulder without the expectation that the Buffaloes will return the game at their respective home stadiums.
With many BCS schools now playing seven or even eight home games, the Buffaloes are now positioned with this Front Range model to match what CU's peers are doing, but also with the attractive benefit that one of those games will take place in one of the NFL's premier facilities.
"The players thoroughly enjoy playing in one of the finest NFL stadiums and the atmosphere is like opening your season in a bowl game," Bohn said.
To allow for the above, some established home-and-home series are being rearranged; for example, one with Minnesota set for 2012 and 2013 will be delayed to early in the 2020s. School officials are also working on "two-for-ones," and have announced such with Fresno State, where the Bulldogs will visit Boulder twice (2011, 2013) with CU traveling once to Fresno (2012).
THE NEW AGREEMENT (2010-2020)
|
DATE |
HOME TEAM |
SITE |
TV RIGHTS |
|
September 4, 2010 |
Colorado State |
Invesco Field, Denver |
CSU (CBS-CS/The Mtn.) |
|
September 17, 2011 |
Colorado |
Invesco Field, Denver |
CU (ABC-ESPN/FSN) |
|
September 1, 2012 |
Colorado |
Invesco Field, Denver |
CU (ABC-ESPN/FSN) |
|
August 31, 2013 |
Colorado State |
Invesco Field, Denver |
CSU (CBS-CS/The Mtn.) |
|
August 30, 2014 |
Colorado |
Invesco Field, Denver |
CU (ABC-ESPN/FSN) |
|
September 19, 2015 |
Colorado State |
Invesco Field, Denver |
CSU (CBS-CS/The Mtn.) |
|
September 3, 2016 |
Colorado |
Invesco Field, Denver |
CU (ABC-ESPN/FSN) |
|
September 2, 2017 |
Colorado |
Invesco Field, Denver |
CU (ABC-ESPN/FSN) |
|
September 1, 2018 |
Colorado State |
Invesco Field, Denver |
CSU (CBS-CS/The Mtn.) |
|
August 31, 2019 |
Colorado |
Invesco Field, Denver |
CU (ABC-ESPN/FSN) |
|
September 5, 2020 |
Colorado State |
Hughes Stadium, Ft. Collins |
CSU (CBS-CS/The Mtn.) |
