CU vs. CSU game nixed from 2021 schedule

CSU and the University of Colorado won't play each other in football in 2021, and the future of the series beyond that season remains in doubt.

CU filled the only remaining spot for a nonconference game on its 2021 schedule Wednesday with Texas A&M, and school spokesman Dave Plati said the difficulty that went into finding a workable date for that game makes it unlikely it could be changed to accommodate a game that season against Colorado State University.

The current 10-game contract between CSU and CU runs through the 2020 game, which is scheduled to be played at the new on-campus stadium in Fort Collins. The schools have not agreed to play additional games.

"That's just the way 2021 worked out," Plati said. "There's openings for CSU every year after that. That's one of those where we're going to have to skip a year."

CU still has one nonconference slot available on its schedule that CSU could fill from 2022-2024 if the schools choose to resume series. John Morris, CSU's interim athletic director, said through a school spokesman that he hopes the series will continue.

"It's unfortunate for football fans throughout the region that this rivalry will have to take a one-year hiatus in 2021," Morris said. "CU officials have indicated they have openings to resume the rivalry in 2022. We look forward to working with them to formalize an agreement extending the series as quickly as possible."

CU can only play three nonconference games most seasons to accommodate the nine-game league schedule of the Pacific-12 Conference. NCAA rules limit teams to 12 regular-season games, with a 13th game allowed for schools playing at Hawaii to help recoup the costs of that trip. CSU played at Hawaii in 2013, and CU is playing there this fall in its season opener.

CU's 2021 schedule consists of three nonconference games, all at home. The Buffs will play Massachusetts on Sept. 4, 2021, Texas A&M on Sept. 11 and Minnesota on Sept. 18. The Texas A&M game could be moved to Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver under terms of the contract, Plati said.

"We were holding a place on our 2021 schedule for CSU-CU game and were surprised to learn through today's media reports of CU's unavailability," Morris said.

Texas A&M, which will also play the Buffs in 2020, didn't have any other dates available, Plati said.

"The only time we could get Texas A&M was those two years," Plati said. "...It's nothing anti-CSU at all. Anyone who's done any scheduling at all can tell you it's not something where we made two phone calls on Monday and got it done. Talks for these games have been going on for four months."

CU and CSU have played each other in football 86 times since 1893, including annual meetings from 1906 through 1958 with the exception of a two-year break for World War II in 1943 and 1944 when neither school played football games. They resumed the series in 1983 and have met all but five seasons since then and every year since 1995. Fourteen of the past 19 games have been played in Denver, usually in the season-opener for both schools.

They'll meet this fall in Denver on Sept. 19 in the third game of the season for both schools and in season-openers from 2016-2019 in Denver, with the 2020 season-opener moving to Fort Collins. CU leads the all-time series 62-22-2.

CSU has not announced future schedules beyond 2016 but is under contract to play a road game in 2017 or 2019 at Alabama and at some point during the 2017-2020 seasons at Florida.

Follow reporter Kelly Lyell at twitter.com/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news.