There’s so much going on at Colorado State and Wyoming these days that it’s easy to forget there’s a statue of a bronze boot on the line this weekend.
Colorado State fired head coach Jay Norvell this week following a 31-19 loss that dropped the Rams to 2-5 and 1-2 in Mountain West play. Norvell, 62, went 18-16 in four seasons in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Interim head coach Tyson Summers will lead the Rams into the Border War at Wyoming on Saturday. He returned to Colorado State in January for his second stint as the Rams’ defensive coordinator. Former tight ends coach Grant Chesnut will serve as offensive coordinator and play caller, while Summers continues to call the plays on defense. Former offensive coordinator Matt Mumme is staying on staff as associate head coach and passing game coordinator.
It has been a season of change for the Rams. Starting quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi was replaced by redshirt sophomore Jackson Brousseau a little more than a month ago. Fowler-Nicolosi has since decided to step away from the team and will likely transfer.
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Norvell handed offensive play-calling duties over to Mumme a little more than three weeks ago, but the unit still needs help. The Rams are averaging 21.8 points a game, which ranks No. 10 in the 12-team Mountain West and No. 110 nationally. They’re No. 11 in total offense (332.4 yards per game) and passing offense (184.1 YPG), and they’re No. 8 in rushing offense (148.2 YPG).
Wyoming is dealing with its own issues on offense, which is why offensive coordinator Jay Johnson was demoted to offensive analyst following the Cowboys’ 24-21 loss at Air Force last weekend. Wide receivers coach Jovon Bouknight, who was an analyst just last year, was promoted to offensive coordinator.
He has his work cut out for him when it comes to turning around a unit that ranks No. 11 in the Mountain West and No. 116 nationally with 20 points a game. Wyoming ranks No. 10 in the conference in total offense (365 YPG), No. 7 in rushing offense (149.4 YPG), and No. 8 in passing offense (215.6 YPG).
Colorado State vs. Wyoming Betting Odds
Wyoming is a 4.5-point college football betting odds favorite on BetMGM as of this writing, and the Over/Under is 46.5 points. The moneyline is at -220 for Wyoming and +180 for Colorado State.
Colorado State leads the all-time series in the Border War 60-51-5. The Rams won last season’s meeting in Fort Collins 24-10, but Wyoming won seven of eight games in the rivalry between 2016 and 2023.
Colorado State vs. Wyoming On TV
The Mountain West game featuring Wyoming and Colorado State at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyoming, will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Colorado State vs. Wyoming Prediction
I predict Colorado State wins 27-21.
Maybe the coaching change will give the Rams a UCLA-like bump and turn their season around. Or maybe it won’t, but Brousseau has been solid in his four starts and Colorado State has shown it has the pieces to win. Its offense put on its best performance of the season in a 49-21 win over Fresno State two weeks ago.
Brousseau threw three touchdowns, and running backs Justin Marshall, Lloyd Avant, and Jalen Dupree all found the end zone on the ground.
They’re facing a stout defense this weekend, but Wyoming’s offense has been surprisingly inconsistent, despite having some pieces to work with. Kaden Anderson is one of the better young quarterbacks in the conference, wide receiver Chris Durr Jr. can stretch the field, and physical running backs Samuel Harris and Sam Scott are tough to bring down. The offense is missing tight end John Michael Gyllenborg, who has been slowed by a nagging hamstring injury.
