Two longtime Mountain West rivals now play under the same new banner, and Colorado State's ground-up rebuild gets an early test against Utah State's steadier roster.
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CSUUSU
CSUUSU
OverUnder
Best BetUtah State
Utah State walks in with a known starter and home turf, while Colorado State is still auditioning quarterbacks under a brand-new staff. Until Mora's group proves it found answers under center, backing the Aggies on the moneyline is the safer side. Colorado State's transfer haul could pay off eventually, but a road trip this early in a rebuild is a tough spot to bet against the more settled team.
Colorado State
+Mora brought 14 players, incl. TE Vereen
+DC Tyson Summers retained for continuity
−Finished 2-10 last year, coach fired midseason
−Lost all 3 2025 starting QBs to portal
Utah State
+Returning starter Hillstead, prior freshman passing record
+Reached a bowl game at 6-7 in 2025
−6-7 finish included a bowl loss
−Also adjusting to new Pac-12 competition
Colorado State enters this one still finding itself under first-year head coach Jim Mora, hired away from UConn last November after Jay Norvell was fired midseason following a 2-5 start. Mora brought 14 players with him from Connecticut, including tight end Javonte 'Juice' Vereen, and CSU's quarterback race is wide open after all three 2025 starters left in the portal. Utah State, by contrast, has an answer under center: Bronco Mendenhall tabbed BYU transfer McCae Hillstead as the starter coming out of spring ball, the same quarterback who once set USU's freshman passing record.
That gap in continuity matters more than any number the books hang on this game: a program tearing down its skill-position group from scratch is a tougher watch than one running back a known quantity at quarterback. Defensive coordinator Tyson Summers stayed on in Fort Collins to give Mora's rebuild at least one anchor point, but replacing four transfer running backs and the entire QB room in a single offseason is a lot to sort out by Halloween.
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CSU Colorado State
USU Utah State
This is also new territory for the rivalry itself. Colorado State leads the all-time series 39-36-2, but both schools are playing this one under the Pac-12 banner after officially bolting the Mountain West on July 1. That raises the stakes of every early crossover game as fans get a feel for how their old MW rivals stack up in a new league, even if the result won't count in the standings history books are used to.
Colorado State Rams
Oct 15?@ Texas State—
Oct 3?vs Oregon State—
Sep 25?@ UTSA—
Sep 19?vs BYU—
Sep 12?vs Southern Utah—
Sep 5?vs Wyoming—
Utah State Aggies
Oct 9?vs Washington State—
Oct 3?@ Boise State—
Sep 26?vs Troy—
Sep 19?@ Utah—
Sep 12?@ Washington—
Sep 5?vs Idaho State—
Recent form.
Utah State isn't walking in undefeated either. A 6-7 finish and a bowl loss to Washington State in the Idaho Potato Bowl means the Aggies are hoping year two under Mendenhall looks sharper than year one. But sharper is a lower bar to clear than Colorado State's from-scratch quarterback competition, and that gap is the real swing factor heading into Saturday, October 31.
