CSU Notebook: Where’s the Bulletin-Board Material?

LARAMIE -- If you came here looking for bulletin-board material, Jay Sawvel didn't provide any Monday during his first weekly press conference of the 2026 season.

He said all the right things about the Cowboys' Week-1 opponent, mainly that he's thrilled the game will actually be played.

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That was in serious doubt when Colorado State, along with four other former Mountain West programs -- Boise State, Utah State, Fresno State and San Diego State -- announced in 2024 they would be joining Washington State and Oregon State in the reimagined Pac-12 Conference.

There is still no matchup announced for the 2027 season.

"It's always a special time of the year -- and this is a special week," Wyoming's third-year head coach said from behind the podium. "We're very excited about continuing the Border War."

And what's not to be thrilled about from this side of the state line?

The Cowboys have won eight of the last 10 meetings in a series that dates back to 1899. Though the Rams have a 60-52-5 edge in the all-time series, their neighbors have narrowed the gap in a big way, claiming 12 victories since 2009.

"We know what this means to our state, what this means to our university, what this means to our fan base and alumni," Sawvel added. "So, it's an exciting time."

Most of CSU's damage came before that was even the school's initials. Colorado Agriculture dominated early on, winning 23 of the first 27 games. Colorado A&M added seven more wins over the next 11 years. Three of those outings ended in a tie.

When it comes to the coveted Bronze Boot, a traveling trophy introduced into this rivalry back in 1968, Wyoming leads, 32-26.

That was the past.

Sawvel and Co. have their collective sights set on the present.

Wyoming rolled to an easy 28-0 blanking last October inside War Memorial Stadium. The visitors tossed three interceptions, allowed 212 rushing yards and crossed the 50-yard line just three times.

That doesn't amount to a hill of beans when it comes to this matchup, Sawvel said.

Jim Mora is the new head coach in Fort Collins. Pryce Tracy, the Rams' play-caller, is making his debut as an offensive coordinator this Saturday. The roster is littered with new faces, 18 of which followed Mora and Tracy from UConn. The QB battle is thought to be between Oklahoma State transfer Hauss Hejny and redshirt freshman K'saan Farrar. We'll all find out together on Saturday who gets the nod under center.

"Yesterday has no influence or bearing on what happens today," Sawvel said. "What happened in last year's game will have no bearing on what happens this Saturday. What happened in 2024 didn't have a bearing on what happened in '25.

"... Every game is going to be independently different."

Mora put on a master class in "coach speak" during his first game-week interview. He downplayed the magnitude of this meeting, the 118th in the series. He is attempting to keep the noise outside of the Rams' locker room. He wants his team to focus on one thing and one thing only -- itself.

Like Wyoming, CSU is preparing for a new offensive scheme, orchestrated by Christian Taylor. The Cowboys also added nearly 50 new faces to its roster this offseason, including quarterback Tyler Hughes, who accounted for 31 touchdowns last fall at William and Mary.

Sawvel and his staff have pilfered through game film at UConn and CSU in hopes they can find a rhyme and reason. The guys to the south are doing the same.

"There's a lot of teams that we're watching," Mora told the local media on Monday. "We have to watch the Buffalo Bills. Their offensive coordinator, he worked as a defensive assistant, but he was working with the defense, helping the offense. He's a great offensive mind. So we have to watch the Bills, we have to watch William and Mary, where he last called plays, and we certainly have to watch Wyoming, because we have to get a feel for personnel.

"You always remember that the head coach has been there a while, and he has a personality that he wants this team to reflect."

Here are some other notes from Monday's press conference in Laramie:

* Wyoming is ready for an opponent. Sawvel said that became apparent last Monday and has lingered throughout what he called a great week of practice, in preparation for the Rams.

* For Sawvel, this will be his seventh Border War. He is 1-1 as a head coach and 3-1 as a defensive coordinator. Though he definitely remembers the wins -- like Jayden Clemons' perfectly-timed touchdown toss to Alex Brown in 2022 and his linebackers Easton Gibbs and Shae Suiaunoa picking off CSU quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi on back-to-back third-quarter drives in a 24-15 victory the following year -- it's the loses that still sit with him. "The COVID year, I mean, nobody has a memory of that," he joked, referring to a 34-24 loss inside an empty Canvas Stadium. "That was just something to erase -- that whole year." When did he know this rivalry was the real deal? Coming off a less-than-impressive four-game skid in 2021, one in which the offense managed just a field goal in consecutive home setbacks against Fresno State and New Mexico, he openly wondered what the crowd in Laramie would look like the following week with CSU in town. "It was a beautiful day in November, and I just remember, it's like, I've never seen the stadium look like this," he recalled. "I mean, it was packed: every single seat, everybody standing, the whole deal." The Cowboys repaid their fans that day with a 31-17 win.

* Caleb Robinson will miss the season with a torn ACL. It's the third-consecutive year the defensive tackle has been sidelined with a leg injury. Last fall, an Achilles rupture derailed his season. Prior to that, it was the Nebraska native's other ACL. Read all about that unfortunate news right HERE.

* Wyoming released its initial depth chart Monday, immediately following the press conference. There are just two "or's" across the offensive line. That comes at both guard spots where there is a current battle between Chandler Donaway and Giovanni Panozzo on the right side and Kalvin Janssen and Josiah Petaia on the left. Either way, three of the front five will be starting their first FBS game Saturday in Fort Collins. That list includes all the players listed above and center Jason Maciejczak, who has playing experience at Nebraska.

* Sawvel said the cornerback spot is still unsettled. It appears to be a five-horse race between Ian Bell, Tyson Shamsid-Deen, David Leonard and rookies Kendall Griffin and Therman "Boogie" Williams. Absent on the list is Weber State transfer Logan Mackey. "We've not fully made a decision," Sawvel said. "... I could make something up, but it's just undecided right now. It really is. Some of it's a good thing. We're going to make you practice well these next few days."

* Could a true freshman or two actually start? "There's a level of confidence, having those two guys," Sawvel said, referring to Griffin and Williams. "They early enrolled, so that's obviously helped. They've been ahead of the game, maturity wise, so that's obviously helped, too." Sawvel said in all of his years as a defensive coach he doesn't recall a rookie starting the first game. "There's a first time for everything, so we'll see what happens," he added.

* The wide receiver position is another that is littered with "or's." See what Sawvel and Co. had to say about that unit right HERE.

* Christian Taylor will call plays from the sideline this year. While that may not seem like breaking news, he's the first offensive coordinator at Wyoming to do that since Brent Vigen in 2020. Both Tim Polasek and Jay Johnson sat high above the field in the booth. Read all about that decision right HERE.

* Mora was very complimentary of the way the Cowboys operate. He said as much Monday. "That's a pretty easy answer: They're tough, they're physical, they're disciplined, they play smart football, they run to the ball and on defense they hit you and strike you and tackle well. They're tough," he said.

* Which Wyoming players landed on NFL rosters and who got cut? Read all about that right HERE.

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* The Roaring Repeater Podcast, fueled by Laramie Range Ford, made its return last Tuesday. You can listen to that right HERE. Jared Newland and myself will hit record around 2 p.m. Mountain Time each Tuesday, so if you have any questions you want answered, send them via social media or to cody@7220sports.com.

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