Kickoff: Saturday, September 5 at 5:00 PM CT
Location: Canvas Stadium
TV: USA Net
DraftKings line (Aug. 30): CSU -3
Over/under: 47.5

The setup

Wyoming won last year’s Border War 28-0, the first shutout in the rivalry since 2010. Colorado State gets the rematch immediately, but almost none of the same cast: the Rams brought in 76 newcomers.

Personnel snapshot

• Wyoming: Jay Sawvel enters Year 3 as head coach. 6 starters return—4 on offense and 2 on defense. Key offensive linemen back include Rex Johnsen and Braylon Jenkins. Wyoming’s offense averaged 314.7 yards and 16.0 points per game last season.
• Wyoming quarterback: Tyler Hughes is projected to start for Wyoming. Last season at William & Mary, he threw for 2,330 yards, 20 TD and 3 INT.
• Colorado St: Jim Mora enters Year 1 as head coach. 4 starters return—1 on offense and 3 on defense. Key defenders back include Jack Moran, Kenyon Agurs, and Jace Bellah. Colorado St’s defense allowed 426.0 yards and 30.8 points per game last season.

Three quick analysis points

• The ranking clue: Meeting No. 118 is the first nonconference Border War since 1967 and the first nonconference game ever played for the Bronze Boot. Conference realignment changed the paperwork, not the trophy case.
• The roster reset: Only 35 Colorado State players return, 33.3% of the roster, and just five qualify as returning starters. Jim Mora’s debut is less a tune-up than a rivalry game with 76 introductions and a boot on the line.
• The turnover test: Wyoming’s new quarterback Tyler Hughes threw for 2,330 yards, ran for 670 and produced 31 touchdowns at William & Mary last year while throwing only three interceptions. He is making an FBS jump with a stat line that already looks built for this level.

Prediction

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Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.