Rumble in the Rockies
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First meeting | October 3, 1903 Colorado, 22–0 |
---|---|
Latest meeting | November 25, 2023 Utah, 23–17 |
Next meeting | November 16, 2024 in Boulder |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 70 |
All-time series | Utah, 35–32–3 (.521)[1] |
Largest victory | Colorado: 54–0 (1951) |
Longest win streak | Utah, 9 (1925–1933) |
Current win streak | Utah, 7 (2017–present) |
The Rumble in the Rockies, or Colorado–Utah football rivalry, is an American
From 1903 until 1962, Utah and Colorado played each other nearly every year, a total of 57 games.[4] At that time, it was the second-most played rivalry for both teams (Utah had played Utah State 62 times;[5] Colorado had played Colorado State 61 times[6]). After the 1962 meeting, a second consecutive win by Utah, the teams stopped playing each other in football.
As part of the
Prior to the resumption of the rivalry, Colorado played Nebraska on Thanksgiving weekend since the formation of the Big 12 Conference in 1996 in front of a national television audience. Before 1996 in the Big Eight, Nebraska traditionally ended its regular season with rival Oklahoma, while CU often concluded with Kansas State or Iowa State. Utah traditionally played nearby rival BYU of Provo in the heated Holy War on Thanksgiving weekend; they have met every year since 1946 except 2014, and all but three years since 1922.[when?][citation needed]
The Colorado–Nebraska football rivalry went on hold when Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011, while Utah's game with BYU was moved to mid-September. BYU left the Mountain West Conference to become a football independent in 2011, and joined the West Coast Conference for its other sports.
Despite the near half-century hiatus, the Colorado–Utah rivalry remains the fifth-most played rivalry in Utah's history, and the eighth-most played rivalry in Colorado's history.[7][8]
History
1910–1947
For 38 years, Utah and Colorado were members of the same conference. From 1910 to 1937, they both played in the
The most notable meetings during this era occurred in 1936 and 1937:
The
In 1937, Colorado went into Salt Lake undefeated and unchallenged – having outscored opponents 162–6 en route to a 5–0 record. However, they found themselves trailing Utah at halftime 7–0. But from there, Whizzer White took control of the game. White first got CU on the board with a third-quarter field goal. Then, in the fourth quarter, White returned a Utah punt 95 yards for a touchdown (he also kicked the extra point). Moments later, White sealed the win with a 57-yard touchdown run from scrimmage (and again kicked the extra point). Final Score: Colorado 17, Utah 7.[9][11][12] The Frontiersmen finished the regular season 8–0, but lost to Rice of Houston in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. White was a runner-up on the Heisman Trophy ballot.[13]
1948–1962
In 1948, Colorado left the Mountain States Conference to join the Big Eight Conference (then known as the Big Seven Conference). But for the next fourteen years, Utah and Colorado played each other nearly every year as part of the teams' non-conference schedules. It was during this time, Colorado began to dominate Utah, winning nine of the thirteen games played during this era, including eight in a row from 1949 to 1958.[4]
The teams did not meet for two seasons and resumed in
2011–present
With both schools joining the Pac-12 in 2011, the rivalry resumed. The first matchup was a Black Friday game, a day in college football reserved for rivalry matchups; Colorado had a regular place on Black Friday since 1996, against then-division rival Nebraska. The conference realignments separated that rivalry and restarted the long-dormant Colorado–Utah series.
In the inaugural Pac-12 matchup in Salt Lake, Colorado won 17–14 at
Utah won again in 2013, defeating the Buffaloes 24–17 in Salt Lake City to ensure that Colorado finished last in the Pac-12 South. The 2014 game was another hard-fought game in Boulder swaying in the Utes favor. Utah won 38–34, as Colorado went winless in conference play. In 2015, Utah won 20–14 in a hard-fought match in the snow, which led Utah to a co-championship of the South division. In 2016, Colorado experienced the greatest turnaround in the history of the Pac-12 Conference; the #9 Buffaloes defeated #21 Utah 27–22 to clinch an 8–1 conference record and south division title, a year after going 1–8 in conference play.
As Pac-12 members, Utah won the series 11–2 (.846). Both will depart for the Big 12 in the summer of 2024.
Game results
Colorado victories | Utah victories | Tie games |
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See also
References
- ^ a b "Winsipedia - Colorado Buffaloes vs. Utah Utes football series history". Winsipedia.
- ^ "CU vs. Utah rivalry officially named "Rumble in the Rockies"". The Field House.
- ^ Facer, Dirk (November 25, 2016). "Ready to Rumble: Utah, Colorado have a history of hard-fought battles". Deseret News.
- ^ a b "Colorado vs Utah". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ "Utah vs Utah St". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 2, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ "Colorado vs Colorado St". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 2, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ "Utah Opponents". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ "Colorado Opponents". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ a b Mark Purcell. "Whizzer White: a pop-art icon of the thirties" (PDF). College Football Data Warehouse. p. 13.
- ^ Mike Sorensen. "Elder Wirthlin cheers on Utes". Deseret News.
- ^ Jim Campbell. "Colorado Justice.pdf" (PDF). College Football Historical Society Newsletter. p. 15.
- ^ "White Runs 95 And 57 Yards And Scores All CU Points". CUBuffs.com. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
- ^ "Winners (1937)". The Heisman Memorial Trophy. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ "Inspired Redskins Crush Unbeaten Colorado". Salt Lake Tribune. November 12, 1961.