That didn't take long.
Over an hour before kickoff of No. 18 Colorado and Colorado State's rivalry matchup in Boulder, the Buffaloes and Rams were captured scuffling at midfield.
The Athletic writer Peter Baugh took video of the two teams jawing at each other near Colorado's midfield logo while their coaches moved to separate them. The pro-Buffaloes crowd can be heard in the background chanting "F--- CSU."
Traditional rivals, Colorado and Colorado State have been playing since 1893. However, Rams coach Jay Norvell poured gasoline on the two teams' collective fire on his weekly call-in show this past Wednesday.
The second-year Colorado State boss recounted telling ESPN, “I talk to grown-ups, I take my hat off and my glasses off”—an unsubtle jab at Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders’s favored attire.
Colorado and CSU are scuffling pregame. “F—- CSU,” the student section chants. pic.twitter.com/SDDzcA0Xvv
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) September 17, 2023
Eagerly seizing upon Norvell’s comments as motivation, Sanders declared the Rocky Mountain Showdown “personal” and presented Colorado’s entire roster with sunglasses this week.