Colorado State on Saturday debuted its new $220M stadium, and the team and its fans "couldn't have asked for a better opening," according to Kevin Lytle of the Ft. Collins COLORADOAN. The game against Oregon State saw 37,583 fans turn out, marking the "third-largest crowd" in CSU history and "largest first-game crowd in school history." Campus was "buzzing," as fans became "acquainted with some new traditions." On defensive third downs, a train horn "blared through the stands in a 'that’s so Fort Collins' feature." CSU's cannon, Comatose, "found its new home in the southeast corner of the field and continued to shock people every time it blasted." But there are "still kinks." Concession lines were "long and a lot of fans left early on the hot day" (Ft. Collins COLORADOAN, 8/27). CSU President Tony Frank said that "despite concerns about traffic and parking, events ran smoothly, especially inside the stadium itself." In Denver, Danika Worthington noted there were some holes "dotted throughout the stands." But CSU AD Joe Parker "attributed that to either student no-shows or people taking cover from the heat." The stadium "didn’t open its standing room tickets area, Parker explaining that the goal for the first game was to create a positive fan experience, not break attendance records." CSU played its first game on campus since '67, and students and "graying alumni alike walked around campus, many holding packs of New Belgium’s Old Aggie and Coors Light" (DENVER POST, 8/27).
CATCHING A GOOD VIBE: In Denver, Mark Kiszla wrote under the header, "Vibe At New CSU Stadium Captured By Old Neil Diamond Song: So Good, So Good, So Good!" Saturday's game "felt like big-time football." Kiszla: "Can a football stadium have a soul? Can it change the face of a university? Can it make Fort Collins the happiest place in Colorado on a Saturday afternoon?" (DENVER POST, 8/27). In Colorado Springs, Paul Klee wrote the venue is "better than advertised." Fans "showed up Saturday," but what about when the "giddy vibes, Colorado sunshine and new-stadium smell wear off?" (Colorado Springs GAZETTE, 8/27).
BACK TO SCHOOL? NBCSPORTS.com's Zach Barnett reported Colorado and CSU "may move future installments of their Rocky Mountain Showdown series from Denver to campus sites." The two sides have "met 88 times total and on an annual basis" since '95 -- with "most of those recent meetings coming in Denver." The neutral site could end as early as '23, as the Rocky Mountain Showdown is in the middle of a 10-year agreement to remain in Denver (NBCSPORTS.com, 8/27).
