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Colorado football can be CSU's meal ticket to the Power 4

By Andrew Hughes

Colorado football can make CSU famous -- perhaps famous enough to get an invite to the Power 4
Colorado football can make CSU famous -- perhaps famous enough to get an invite to the Power 4 / Dustin Bradford/GettyImages
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If CSU ever became a Power 4 program, the Rams would have Deion Sanders' Colorado football program to thank.

The best thing to ever happen to Colorado State University was taking the Buffs to double overtime in 2023. That showing made CSU a more national brand -- not all for the right reasons, but I digress -- and the September 14, 2024 matchup in Fort Collins only figures to further that progress.

There's never been a better time for a Group of 5 school to arrive. With the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC all expanding, there is more room for schools joining those ranks given the rise of 16+-school conferences.

Fort Collins' Canvas Stadium seats 41,000, so the Rams are well-prepared to make the Power Conference jump.

CSU can be an ACC contingency plan option

Sure, the ACC expanded in 2024 with the additions of Stanford, Cal, and SMU, but it's the sport's worst-kept secret that FSU and Clemson will be exiting the conference by 2026.

Once the Noles and Tigers go, the ACC will be left scrambling to pick up the pieces. A contingency plan has been floated by PressBox DC's Jim Williams that'd see Memphis, Tulane, Wazzu, Oregon State, UConn, and USF join the ACC.

Since the ACC is on the West Coast now, it's not unrealistic to think it can add the Colorado market.

CSU can join Oregon State and Wazzu in a rebuilt Pac-12

If the Pac-12 survives and Oregon State and Wazzu decide to rebuild the conference, CSU is a natural replacement for the Buffs.

This scenario can gain traction in the coming years if the Beavers and Cougars successfully partner with the Mountain West over the next two years.

CSU can ride the Colorado football program's coattails into the Big 12

Of course, the Rams could always just ride the Buffs' coattails all the way to the Big 12. This would be in play if Utah's wandering eyes resulted in a conference jump. Replacing one Four Corners State school with another is a seamless fit for travel purposes; if that still matters in this day and age of national conferences.

From a regional perspective, this makes even more sense than the Rams being in a rebuilt Pac-12.

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