Strike 2: Bowl trips are awesome.

Getting to a bowl game, especially when you haven’t been to one in quite a while, is a big deal. A (usually) great destination, an extra game, extra practice time, extra exposure for the program and more time to schmooze with alums. It’s all good.

The Colorado Buffaloes and the Colorado State Rams are both traveling this holiday/bowl season. CU is going to the Alamo Bowl in nice warm San Antonio, while CSU heads to the Arizona Bowl in beautiful Tucson. Both games will be played on Saturday, Dec. 28.

Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes don’t need any extra exposure. Deion will be the only current college head coach starring in multiple TV commercials throughout bowl season. But the extra practice time – especially the chance to reevaluate the current roster in preparation for transfer portal season – will be very valuable for both in-state programs.

The Buffs will be in the unusual position of facing a fellow conference member, Brigham Young University, in the Alamo Bowl. Thanks to realignment, this comes about because for bowl selection purposes CU is still a “Pac-12” selection. The Alamo Bowl had been featuring a Pac-12 vs. Big 12 matchup for the past several seasons. The implosion of the Pac-12 didn’t undue any bowl tie-in contracts. Strangely enough, when CU last went to a bowl – as a representative of the Pac-12 – after the COVID shortened 2020 season, they faced a Big 12 opponent, Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl.

Playing a conference foe in a bowl is very rare, but not unheard of. CSU played Nevada in the inaugural Arizona Bowl after the 2015 season. Like the Buffs and BYU, the Rams and the Wolfpack did not play during the regular season.

The Colorado vs. BYU matchup is intriguing for a couple of reasons. First, this will be the first ranked team CU will face this season. The 10-2 Cougars, who’s sloppy season-ending win over Houston knocked the Buffs out of the Big 12 conference title game (due to convoluted tiebreakers) come in ranked No. 17, six spots ahead of the 9-3 Buffs. BYU was unbeaten and looking at a possible shot at the College Football Playoff early in November before losing two of their last three games. The Cougars defeated playoff-bound SMU early in the season, and throttled Kansas State before losing to Kansas and conference champ Arizona State. The BYU team that slogged past Houston in the season finale (which a lot of Buff fans were glued to watching) won’t strike fear in anyone at the Dal Ward Center.

Also, keep in mind that this could conceivably be the start of a new rivalry between the neighboring programs, who are scheduled to meet next regular season. While BYU vs. Utah will always be the biggest rivalry game in that state, the Buffs most natural rivals in the Big 12 are with western teams like the Utah and Arizona schools. And just ask any CSU fan: BYU is an easy program to build up a good old fashioned rivalry hatred for.

As for the Rams, they were fortunate enough to dodge another trip to frigid Boise for the Idaho Potato Bowl, instead landing back in the desert where they’ll face Miami of Ohio (8-5) from the Mid America Conference. No future rivalry here, but there is a short history. Miami has beaten CSU in their previous two meetings, in 2003 and 2010. Back in 2003, future NFL star Ben Roethlisberger (330 yards and two touchdowns) led the RedHawks into Hughes Stadium and upset Bradley Van Pelt and the Rams 31-10. Little did we know what Big Ben was destined to become.

More important than avenging that loss is the chance to make more internal improvements that are badly needed. For CSU, the focus has to be making big strides as part of the ramp up to joining the revamped Pac-12 in 2026.

Both games are in great venues. San Antonio, with their famous RiverWalk district, puts on a great bowl week. CU fans that are bummed about not making the CFP should instead be happy that Deion’s second team exceeded expectations and landed in a great place. Same for CSU faithful. It’s been a long wait between bowl appearances, and there are far worse places to spend holiday time than beautiful Tucson.