Strike 3: Canvas Stadium opened up on the campus of Colorado State University back in 2017. While the trend nationally has always been for old college football stadiums to undergo big renovations – in most cases serious top shelf improvements (see what’s gone on at Folsom Field recently) CSU bucked the trend and bulldozed horrid Hughes Stadium and built this sensational brand new facility that’s now at the very top among the non-power four programs. When it first opened it was unnamed. It was just called the “on-campus stadium” before the naming rights deal with Canvas Credit Union was put in place in time for the 2018 season.

That’s been five plus years ago now, and yet still there’s a significant number of college football followers in our region – most especially those that either support the Colorado Buffaloes, or cover them for a regional media outlet – who have never even seen the place in person. Really. Getting to Fort Collins for a game hasn’t been any sort of priority, especially since the Deion show arrived in Boulder.

This weekend, the Deion Show/Colorado Buffaloes come to Fort Collins for the first time since 1996.

With that in mind, and as a public service to Buffaloes followers around the region, we offer up a guide to watching your first college football game on the campus at CSU.

For starters, if you’re coming from the south, don’t make the mistake of heading west off I-25 on Harmony, or taking one of those back roads along the foothills up from Boulder thinking you remember how to get to Horsetooth Reservoir. The stadium isn’t located there anymore. It’s on the south side of campus now, off of Prospect Avenue and Whitcomb Street (technically it’s at Whitcomb and Lake, but Lake Street will be closed to drivers. Sorry.)

Google it.

There will be the normal amount of pregame traffic of course, but Canvas is a snap to get to – and get out of – especially compared to Hughes. You can be thankful for that. You should be able to get home before midnight – unless we get another double overtime tilt, that is.

As far as parking goes, it’s similar to Boulder. One parking garage you may or may not be able to get into off of Prospect and Centre, and several other small parking lots to the north and west. You may have to park in a nearby neighborhood. You’ll need to bring a fifty spot with you, and you might end up handing that to a frat kid holding a beer in his other hand. Typical college football Saturday stuff. He’ll take good care of your vehicle.

After you park, start making your way toward the southwest corner of the stadium. You can enter on either the east or west side and walk along the nice wide walkway that offers a great view of the field from the south end. That may be the best view you get all game.

You aren’t going to like your seats. The visitor’s seating is up high and stuck in the southwest corner of the stadium. Nothing close to premium seats. Yes, you had a lot better view when this was officially a CSU home game but played in Denver.

From your high vantage point, you’ll glance at the north end and see one of the best features of the stadium. It’s called the New Belgium Porch. It’s CSU’s version of a party deck a la Coors Field. This one is at field level, but sorry, you can’t get in there. Yes, it’s a lot of fun and you might wish you could watch the game from that spot, but unless you have a golden ticket, you’re out of luck. CSU fans will have that place filled, and most of them will be filled, too. It’s probably for the best. Want to avoid potential confrontations after the way things went down last year in Boulder.

Once the game starts, Ram fans will be loud. Probably not what you endured last week, but nonetheless not what you’re used to out of CSU faithful, especially since it’s been forever since you were outnumbered at a Rocky Mountain Showdown.

So enjoy the new stadium, the great atmosphere and enjoy the game. Hopefully it won’t be another 28 years before there’s another showdown in the Fort.