A verbal agreement was in place, now consider it official.

Colorado State and CU have signed an agreement to renew their football rivalry, dubbed the “Rocky Mountain Showdown,” in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Rams’ athletic director Joe Parker told The Denver Post. The games will be played Sept. 16, 2023 at Folsom Field in Boulder, and Sept. 14, 2024 at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins.

The Rams and Buffs have played each other every season since 1995 — once in Fort Collins, five times in Boulder, and the remaining games in Denver, including the past eight — but the deal that’s in place expires after the 2020 season. The Rocky Mountain Showdown will return to Broncos Stadium on Aug. 31 and again in 2019 before completing the contract with the 2020 game at CSU, which will be the first time the Rams have hosted the rivalry since 1996.

Both schools have already filled their nonconference schedules for 2021 and 2022, creating a two-year hiatus.

“(Colorado AD) Rick (George) and I haven’t talked anything beyond that, although if you look at our schedule in ’25 and ’26, we’ve already got Vanderbilt and Texas Tech,” Parker said. “We could maybe play (CU) then if we wanted to go with three Power 5 opponents in a single year. I’ve looked at it as probably 2027, ’28 being the next time we could get them on the schedule.

“Rick has said, ‘maybe two years on, two years off’ which allows you to be more creative with your schedule in the off years, but I’d like to play them every year, especially now. Imagine that game in 2020 when we complete the current contract here. It’s going to be an exciting game.”

CSU opens its season 5:30 p.m. Saturday playing host to Hawaii.