DENVER—Two days before his first face-off with President Barack Obama, Mitt Romney said on Monday that the presidential debate won't be about "winning or losing" but instead it will be a chance for the candidates to describe the "pathway" on which they'd like to take the country.

"People want to know who's going to win, who's going to score the punches, and who's going to make the biggest difference in the arguments they make," Romney told supporters at a rally inside a local air and space museum here. "There's going to be all the scoring of winning and losing and, you know, in my view, it's not so much winning and losing or even the people themselves, the president and myself, it's about something bigger than that."

"These debates are an opportunity for each of us to describe the pathway forward for America that we would choose and the American people are going to have to make their choice as to what kind of America they'd want," Romney continued.

In his final public rally before Wednesday's debate, the Republican presidential nominee said he was "delighted" to have the chance to meet his opponent on a debate stage—especially in Colorado, a state he said could very likely determine the outcome of the presidential election.

"I believe the people of Colorado will choose a better way forward for our country," Romney said.