The battle for the Bronze Boot isn't going anywhere.
At the annual meetup at the Colorado-Wyoming border where the two ROTC programs from each school pass the trophy from one to the other as it is run a portion of the 66-mile distance from one campus to the other, Colorado State and Wyoming announced the Border War rivalry game will continue after the Rams move from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 in 2026.
The nonconference version of the series is set to start in 2028 and continue through 2035, meaning there is currently a two-year gap in 2026 and 2027 when both teams have full nonconference slates, but there appears to be optimism from both sides about freeing up spots to play the game those years as well.
"The Border War rivalry game versus Wyoming is one of the oldest rivalries in the West dating back 125-years and features one of the most iconic trophies in college football," CSU athletic director John Weber said in a release. "The Boot Run with the game ball, the Border Ceremony, and the Bronze Boot Trophy all honor the values and rich ROTC history of both of our universities and will remain integral to this rivalry for years to come. This game is important to our universities, communities, and fans; and I am thrilled that this historic rivalry will continue."
The rivalry between the Rams and Cowboys is one of the oldest in all of college football. Friday's matchup at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins will be the 116th since the first meeting in 1899 and it's tied for the third-oldest rivalry west of the Mississippi River, behind only Cal-Stanford, Oregon-Oregon State and tied with Arizona-Arizona State.
The game has been played every year since 1946 after the end of World War II, this being the 79th consecutive season. The Bronze Boot trophy has been handed out every year since 1968 and is a real boot worn by CSU ROTC professor Captain Dan J. Romero during his service in the Vietnam War from 1966-67 that was encased in bronze and mounted on a wooden platform.
The Rams will try to win the trophy back for the first time since 2020. Wyoming has won seven of the last eight meetings, but CSU enters Friday's game as a 9.5-point favorite and with an unbeaten 4-0 record in conference play.
"With all the changes in college football, it's great to maintain a rivalry that has been played for 125 years," Rams coach Jay Norvell said. "It means so much to our fans and community that we continue this historic rivalry. Rivalries are what make college football special and to play programs that are close to you in proximity where it means so much to so many in your community, it's great to preserve that."
Here is a full, updated schedule for the Border War series:
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2024: at Colorado State (Friday, 6 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
2025: at Wyoming (date TBA, final meeting as Mountain West opponents)
2028: at CSU (Sept. 23)
2029: at Wyoming (Sept. 22)
2030: at CSU (Sept. 7)
2031: at Wyoming (Sept. 20)
2032: at CSU (Sept. 25)
2033: at Wyoming (Sept. 24)
2034: at CSU (Sept. 23)
2035: at Wyoming (Sept. 22)