Colorado University Athletics

Reunited: Colorado-Utah Series Notes

Reunited: Colorado-Utah Series Notes
Some notes about the Colorado-Utah rivalry through the years.  Utah was Colorado' first real consistent out of state rival, first meeting in football in 1903, and then annually with the exception of four times through 1962.  Colorado currently sponsors 16 sports and Utah 18, with the two competing in 11 common ones; notes on some of the sport rivalries appear below.
  • Skiing. The two are fierce, but friendly ski rivals. Since the sport of skiing went coed in 1983, Utah leads the NCAA with nine titles, with CU third with five (Denver has six). Colorado had 11 men's titles and Utah one prior to 1983, and each also has one AIAW (women's title). Thus the pair brings 28 national championships (26 NCAA) to the Pac-10. Individually, Colorado is the all-time lead with 81 champions, with Utah third (64). In the 151 western ski meets since 1983, Utah has won 53 (and tied for another), and Colorado 49, ranking 1-2.
  • Football. Colorado and Utah have played 57 times (CU leads, 30-24-3); Utah was CU's original out of state rival, as the two schools dueled almost annually for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title between 1910-1937 and then in the Mountain States Conference (old Skyline League) from 1938-47. Two of the legendary Byron "Whizzer" White's best games came against Utah: in 1936, he scored 25 points in a 31-7 win in Boulder, and in 1937, he scored all of CU's points in a 17-7 win in Salt Lake City (on a 97-yard punt return, a 57-yard run, a 15-yard field goal and both extra points). In 1961, when CU won its first Big 8 football title, the Buffs skated through league play at 7-0, but on Nov. 11, Utah waltzed into Boulder and left with a 21-12 win; CU went into the Orange Bowl ranked No. 6 that season, but many observers at the time felt without the loss to Utah, the Buffs likely would have been ranked No. 2 or 3. The two last played on Sept. 22, 1962 (a 37-21 Utah win at home); ironically, the two were set to resume the series 50 years to the day in 2012 with a home-and-home series, the first game set for Boulder.
  • Men's Basketball. Colorado holds a 21-17 lead in the all-time series, the two last playing in 2006 in Salt Lake City (a 60-59 CU win). The two, for some reason, only met twice between 1918 and 1938 despite being in the same conference.
  • Women's Basketball. Utah owns a 10-6 advantage, with the bulk of the games (1975-81) coming when both were members of the old Intermountain Conference in AIAW play. The two last played in 1995 in Boulder, when CU eked out a 63-61 win in the second round of the women's preseason NIT.
  • Women's Soccer. CU has a 6-1 edge in games, including a win in the 2004 NCAA tournament; defender Kym Lowry's goal with less than three minutes to play gave CU a 2-1 win the last time the two met, just last Sept. 11.
  • Women's Tennis. Utah owns an 11-10 advantage, but the two have played just three times since 1989 (a home-and-home series in 2000-01 and a 5-4 CU win this past January in the ITA Kickoff Classic in Berkeley).  Eight of the 21 matches ended as close as could be, with 5-4 or 4-3 scores.
  • Women's Volleyball. The schools have met but only five times, CU winning the first three and Utah the last two; the Utes won the last meeting in 2001, coming back from two games down to win, 3-2.