AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Fueled by pride, passion and pageantry, rivalries have long put the pizzazz in college football. But as conference realignment continues to reshape the landscape, rivalries are an endangered species.
That’s likely the case for the decades-old Colorado State-Air Force showdown.
The two teams met for the 62nd time Saturday night at Falcon Stadium where the Rams had not won since 2022. But with CSU leaving the Mountain West Conference for the Pac-12 in 2026, Saturday could very well be the Rams’ final game at the Academy for quite some time. The two teams will play in Fort Collins next season.
However, CSU athletic director John Weber said that predicting the demise of the Ram-Falcon Trophy, or the Wyoming-CSU “Border War” game that decides the Bronze Boot, is “presumptuous.”
“We honestly don’t know if it’s the end of an era,” Weber said. “There is a lot we have to work through. And we have an even more historical rivalry with Wyoming. That’s been played forever and ever.”
Indeed, the teams first played in 1899, and have met every season since 1946. Only 12 times in the last 125 years have CSU and Wyoming not played each other in football.
Air Force AD Nathan Pine understands that the Falcons’ rivalry with the Rams could be nearing its end, but he also noted that the situation across college football is fluid, meaning things can change in a hurry.
“It’s in flux,” he said. “We have solidified the Mountain West and will have eight schools when the five schools depart. So, there is a little clarity there, but I don’t know if anyone is done yet.
“Let’s be real. I don’t know if conference realignments are ever going to slow down. We might come to a stasis for a period right now, but I’ve been in this business for a long time, and one thing we can bank on is that there is going to be conference realignments.”
Those seismic shifts are the reason why the CSU-AFA rivalry could go the way of Colorado-Nebraska, leaving only sporadic showdowns.
“I can’t say a lot right now because we still have to figure out, ‘What do things look like for us in the Pac-12?” said Weber, whose Rams will leave the Mountain West along with Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State to join Oregon State and Washington State in the Pac-12.
“A lot will be dictated by the conference and its membership, regarding what our non-conference schedule looks like. No. 1, we’re going to be focused on maximizing the media value for the member institutions in that conference.”
Weber laid out two scenarios.
“Suppose we end up with only eight full-time members that play football in the Pac-12?” he said. “That means we’ll have seven conference games and we will have five non-conference games.
“If that’s the case, there will be plenty of room to see if we do something with Wyoming or if we do something with Air Force. Or can we play more games against Colorado than are on our (future) schedule right now?”
The second scenario would limit the Rams’ schedule flexibility beginning in 2026.
“If we have, say, 10 conference members that play football, that means we have nine conference games, and we’d have only had three openings available for non-conference games. That makes it tougher.”
Air Force, however, has less wiggle room to schedule non-conference foes because they annually play Army and Navy.
“Regardless of what conference we play in, if it makes sense with our schedule, and if there is local interest, we’d certainly look to schedule games against CSU or CU, ” Pine said. “Of course, it has to make sense for both schools.
“Those are fan bases that have historic rivalries and they want to see those games. And we have to look at it through that lens. But it can never be a decision that’s made in the moment or in the emotion of what’s transpiring at the time.”
CSU’s non-conference dates are booking up fast. In 2026, the Rams are scheduled to play Indiana, Southern Utah, BYU and Texas-San Antonio. In 2027, CSU’s non-conference opponents are Arizona, Sam Houston, Wisconsin and Houston Baptist.
Air Force’s future schedule is even tighter.
Weber said he understands the importance of trying to keep traditions alive.
“Rivalries are part of what makes college football the fun spectacle that it is,” he said. “Those games (against Air Force, Wyoming and CU) are all games that are important to their fan bases, and ours, too.”
The dilemma facing Colorado’s in-state rivalries is not unique. Texas and Texas A&M have played each other 118 times, but not since 2011. With both teams now in the SEC, their rivalry renews on Thanksgiving Day.
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Oklahoma will not play Oklahoma State this season for the first time since 1910, largely because of hard feelings over Oklahoma’s move to the Southeastern Conference.
Such is the current state of college athletics. And it doesn’t look like that’s going to change anytime soon.
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