Colorado University Athletics
CU Adds Three Football Games In The Mid-2020's
October 05, 2018 | Football
Home-and-Home Series With Houston, Single Game With Colgate Added to Schedules
BOULDER — The University of Colorado and the University of Houston have agreed to a home-and-home series in football in the middle of the next decade, CU athletic director Rick George announced Friday.
Houston will host the first meeting on Sept. 6, 2025, with Colorado hosting the following the year in Boulder on Sept. 12, 2026.
The two have a short but significant history on the gridiron, as they met in the 1971 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston. The Buffaloes entered the game ranked No. 7 in the nation, the Cougars at No. 15. Houston took an early 14-7 lead on two short touchdown runs by Robert Newhouse, but CU scored 16 second quarter points to take a 23-14 halftime lead. Charlie Davis scored twice in the first half, Ken Johnson connected with Larry Brunson on a 5-yard TD pass and J.B. Dean added a 32-yard field goal for CU's scoring.
Houston pulled to within 23-17 and had apparently stalled the CU offense in a 4th-and-9 situation on its own 10-yard line. But in perhaps the riskiest and gutsiest play call in school history, punter John Stearns saw an opportunity to run and gained 12 yards and the first down. Nine plays later, Johnson scored from a yard out to seal a 29-17 Colorado win. It propelled the Buffs to a final No. 3 national ranking, and with Nebraska finishing No. 1 and Oklahoma No. 2, it remains the only time in history three teams from the same conference (the Big 8) finished 1-2-3 in the final polls.
"It's important that we play a game in the state of Texas every few years," said George. "We obviously have a heavy presence recruiting in the state, it annually produces the third-most players on our roster (after Colorado and California), and we have good alumni bases all over the state."
Colorado has games in Texas in 2020 (at Texas A&M) and in 2023 (at TCU). Houston has twice visited the state of Colorado, defeating CSU in 1973 (28-20) and losing to the Rams in 2008 (28-25).
The schools have met in various sports through the years, 22 times among sports the two currently sponsor. The last meeting was in 2012, when CU defeated UH in women's tennis, 4-3.
CU officials previously announced a home-and-home with Georgia Tech those same years, with Colorado hosting the first game on Aug. 30, 2025 with the Buffaloes set to travel to Atlanta on Sept 5, 2026 as the games will serve as the season openers for both teams. The 2025 schedule is not complete, but 2026 now is as previously it was announced that CU will play Northwestern on Sept. 19 of that year in the front-end of a home-and-home series.
Colgate completes CU's 2027 non-conference schedule and will visit Boulder on Sept. 4 of that year in the season opener. The Buffaloes then host a pair of Wildcats in Northwestern on Sept. 11 and Kansas State on Sept. 18; CU will in turn play Kansas State in Manhattan in 2028.
It will be the first meeting between the two "CU's" in football, and the second overall in dual competition. The Buffaloes defeated the Raiders, 74-52, in women's basketball in a game in Boulder on Dec. 30, 2010. Colgate has previously played one game in the state, dropping a 38-13 decision to Air Force in 2013, and will play AFA again in Colorado Springs next year.
Houston will host the first meeting on Sept. 6, 2025, with Colorado hosting the following the year in Boulder on Sept. 12, 2026.
The two have a short but significant history on the gridiron, as they met in the 1971 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston. The Buffaloes entered the game ranked No. 7 in the nation, the Cougars at No. 15. Houston took an early 14-7 lead on two short touchdown runs by Robert Newhouse, but CU scored 16 second quarter points to take a 23-14 halftime lead. Charlie Davis scored twice in the first half, Ken Johnson connected with Larry Brunson on a 5-yard TD pass and J.B. Dean added a 32-yard field goal for CU's scoring.
Houston pulled to within 23-17 and had apparently stalled the CU offense in a 4th-and-9 situation on its own 10-yard line. But in perhaps the riskiest and gutsiest play call in school history, punter John Stearns saw an opportunity to run and gained 12 yards and the first down. Nine plays later, Johnson scored from a yard out to seal a 29-17 Colorado win. It propelled the Buffs to a final No. 3 national ranking, and with Nebraska finishing No. 1 and Oklahoma No. 2, it remains the only time in history three teams from the same conference (the Big 8) finished 1-2-3 in the final polls.
"It's important that we play a game in the state of Texas every few years," said George. "We obviously have a heavy presence recruiting in the state, it annually produces the third-most players on our roster (after Colorado and California), and we have good alumni bases all over the state."
Colorado has games in Texas in 2020 (at Texas A&M) and in 2023 (at TCU). Houston has twice visited the state of Colorado, defeating CSU in 1973 (28-20) and losing to the Rams in 2008 (28-25).
The schools have met in various sports through the years, 22 times among sports the two currently sponsor. The last meeting was in 2012, when CU defeated UH in women's tennis, 4-3.
CU officials previously announced a home-and-home with Georgia Tech those same years, with Colorado hosting the first game on Aug. 30, 2025 with the Buffaloes set to travel to Atlanta on Sept 5, 2026 as the games will serve as the season openers for both teams. The 2025 schedule is not complete, but 2026 now is as previously it was announced that CU will play Northwestern on Sept. 19 of that year in the front-end of a home-and-home series.
Colgate completes CU's 2027 non-conference schedule and will visit Boulder on Sept. 4 of that year in the season opener. The Buffaloes then host a pair of Wildcats in Northwestern on Sept. 11 and Kansas State on Sept. 18; CU will in turn play Kansas State in Manhattan in 2028.
It will be the first meeting between the two "CU's" in football, and the second overall in dual competition. The Buffaloes defeated the Raiders, 74-52, in women's basketball in a game in Boulder on Dec. 30, 2010. Colgate has previously played one game in the state, dropping a 38-13 decision to Air Force in 2013, and will play AFA again in Colorado Springs next year.
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