The Rocky Mountain Showdown between the Colorado Buffaloes and Colorado State Rams is getting an early start in 2018.

The longtime football rivals will meet at 7:30 p.m. Friday on Aug. 31 at Mile High, it was announced on Thursday in conjunction with the release of the Mountain West football schedule. The game will be televised by CBS Sports Network.

For the second-straight year CSU opens the season with a Week 0 home matchup, this time against conference opponent Hawaii, before facing the Buffs. CU will begin its season against the Rams. The Buffs earned a controversial 17-3 win against CSU last fall that included several highly debated offensive pass interference calls against the Rams. CU has won three-straight Rocky Mountain Showdowns, but no team has won four or more matchups consecutively since 1998. The Buffaloes lead the all-time series 65-22-2. Related Articles CU Buffs announce 5-year partnership with online sportsbook PointsBet

13 former CU Buffs make NFL 53-man rosters

Thanks to COVID-19, Colorado’s football fields will be silent on Fridays and Saturdays. So what do we do now?

CSU finished last season 7-6 with a loss to Marshall in the New Mexico Bowl. CU went 5-7 without a bowl appearance.

Tickets for the 2018 game are anticipated to go on sale early this summer.