Colorado State gets its first taste of home cooking in Year 1 of Jim Mora's rebuild, and Southern Utah is walking into Fort Collins as the clear underdog trying to spoil the vibes.
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SUUCSU
SUUCSU
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Best BetColorado State
Colorado State is the clear class of this matchup on paper — an FBS Pac-12 program hosting an FCS opponent at home. Southern Utah's path to the upset runs through forcing turnovers and playing loose, since a rebuilding CSU roster is still figuring out its identity under a new staff. Still, the talent and depth gap here is significant enough that backing the Rams outright is the play.
Southern Utah
+Actual game tape by kickoff after Montana opener
+returning to a Big Sky home turf it knows
−FCS talent gap vs Pac-12 roster
−playing true road environment for 2nd straight week
Colorado State
+Home game at Canvas Stadium in September
+Mora brings proven system from 9-3 UConn stretch
−Coming off a 2-10 season with a rebuilt roster
−brand-new staff still installing identity
This is the Rams' second home date of the season, sandwiched between the Border War opener against Wyoming and a marquee Week 3 visit from BYU. That scheduling spot matters: Colorado State needed a game to find its footing without staring down a ranked opponent, and Southern Utah is exactly that kind of opponent.
Jim Mora inherited a mess. The Rams finished 2-10 in 2025 after Jay Norvell was fired mid-season, and Mora arrives after four solid years running an NFL-style attack at UConn that had the Huskies drawing top-25 votes. He's rebuilding the two-deep with a mix of UConn transfers and CSU holdovers, and a home game against an FCS team is as low-pressure a proving ground as this program is going to get in its first Pac-12 season.
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SUU Southern Utah
CSU Colorado State
Southern Utah, meanwhile, is making its own return — back in the Big Sky Conference after time away, with DeLane Fitzgerald still running the show in Cedar City. The Thunderbirds open their year on the road against Montana before this trip to Colorado, so by the time they land in Fort Collins they'll have actual game tape instead of just fall-camp buzz.
