No. 11 BYU will play at Colorado State on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. MDT in Fort Collins, a meeting that gives this Csu football matchup a little extra weight for both the present and the past. It will be the 70th meeting between the programs, and BYU’s first trip to Fort Collins in 16 years.
The series goes back to 1922, and the rivalry has stretched across multiple eras of college football. BYU and Colorado State have played 69 previous games, with BYU holding 39 wins, Colorado State 27 and the teams tied three times. That history matters here because this is not just another road game on the schedule. It is a rare return to a place BYU has not visited in more than a decade and a half.
It also arrives at a meaningful point in the season. BYU moved ahead of No. 13 Texas Tech and No. 12 USC in the Top 25 this week, and the timing of the game lines up with a broader national conversation about where the Cougars stand. The College Football Playoff committee will release its first rankings on Nov. 3, so every ranked road game carries more than one layer of significance.
For BYU, the case is built on both record and resume. The Cougars have been sharp enough to keep climbing in the poll, and they have also shown they can start fast. Last Nov. 15 against TCU, BYU scored on its first four possessions in a 44-13 win, a good reminder of how quickly the game can tilt when the Cougars get rolling early.
What has made BYU so difficult to play
That game against TCU was another example of a pattern Kalani Sitake’s teams have established over time. His teams are 14-0 when they score a touchdown on the opening drive and 14-1 when they score first. That makes the first few minutes especially important, particularly on the road.
There is also a defensive angle to this BYU team. Since the start of the 2024 season, BYU has led the nation with 43 interceptions, a number that reflects how disruptive the Cougars have been across the last four FBS games and beyond. Even when the offense is not at full speed, that kind of takeaway production gives BYU a margin for error.
BYU’s recent work against TCU also included 236 carries for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in the season in question, while one possession sequence featured six plays, three straight runs, a 23-yard reception, a 16-yard scamper and a finishing stretch that included 125 yards of offense on the drive. Those details underline the balance BYU has shown when it is in rhythm.
Colorado State will have its own ideas about what this game should look like, especially at home in Fort Collins. But the bigger picture is clear: BYU is walking into a ranked road test with conference history, poll movement and playoff implications all tied together. If the Cougars want to keep strengthening their profile before the committee begins its work, this is the kind of game that can help do it.
