The pressure is now on Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell to knock off Coach Prime's Colorado football program after The Denver Post's Sean Keeler (subscription required) claimed it's a must for Norvell to stay in charge in Fort Collins.
I mean, look at this headline:
"Beat Deion. Because if Jay Norvell can notch CSU’s first Rocky Mountain Showdown win since 2014, the load of those first two seasons lightens considerably."
That's a wildly long headline that not only doesn't follow AP Style but adds a significant amount of hype to the 2024 Rocky Mountain Showdown; one that, after last season's, may not need any extra added hype.
Jay Norvell made Colorado State-Colorado football rivalry personal with potshot at Coach Prime
Keeler's proclamation that the game could determine major personnel decisions for CSU -- a relevant topic given the Rams' dismissal of AD Joe Parker -- notwithstanding, the Colorado State-Colorado rematch on September 14 already had juice due to the 43-35 double-overtime thriller at Folsom Field last season.
Oh, and Norvell's insinuation that Coach Prime wasn't raised right.
"I sat down with ESPN today," Norvell said on September 13 (h/t BuffsBeat). "I don't care if they hear it in Boulder. I told them, I took my hat off and I took my glasses off. I said when I talk to grown ups, I take my hat off and my glasses off. That's what my mother taught me. (Colorado's) not going to like us no matter what we say or do."
Norvell's comments sparked a reaction from Shedeur Sanders, which then sparked a reaction from Norvell's wife after the season. The build-up to the Rocky Mountain Showdown prompted a full-on war of words from the Norvell and Sanders family, with Coach Prime's mother, Connie Knight, punctuating it in the locker room after CU's comeback win with a speech.
Whether or not Norvell's job depends on it -- and eight wins in his first two seasons coaching the Rams may make that a reality for all we know --, the 2024 Rocky Mountain Showdown is undoubtedly one of Colorado's most important games (again) on the schedule.