RR Ralphie Report: Who will be Colorado’s newest Big XII rivals?

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Let’s examine what rivals may form when the Buffs move back to the Big XII

In the last year, the Colorado Buffaloes have gone through something of a rivalry renaissance. After spending 13 years in the Pac-12 and forming no rivalries, Coach Prime and company have rekindled the fire of hatred with old rival Nebraska and Colorado State.

But now that CU is returning to the Big XII this summer, one question remains; who will be the Buffs rivals in the Big XII? We’ll break down some of the prime candidates.

Arizona

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If you’ve been on CU Twitter for the last 10ish years, you’d know that Arizona fans REALLY don’t like the Buffs. Ever since Tad went ballistic after refs called off Sabatino Chen’s buzzer beater in 2013, there’s been a lot of resentment towards the Buffs within the Arizona fanbase.

Colorado has been a bit of thorn in the Wildcats side since joining the Pac-12, especially on the basketball court. Granted, the ‘Cats still have a commanding 26-16 record against us, but those 16 wins are still too many than Arizona fans are willing to accept.

If the Buffs are serious about basketball, the ‘Cats will have semi-established beef that could come to grow as both acclimate to the Big 12. This could be a great rivalry, but it lacks some punch on the gridiron, and it could be a bit one-sided as long as Arizona State is a functioning university.

Kansas State

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Before Colorado jumped ship to the Pac-12 in 2011, these two teams already had an established rivalry going. The Buffs and Wildcats played each other annually from 1948 up until 2010. Both teams could bond in being competitive, frisky teams that challenged the conference heavy weights, but there was no love lost between them when they met each year.

Now, there’s ever more reason for this rivalry to rekindle: former CU and current K-State running back Dylan Edwards. The sophomore had first committed to KSU out of high school, but changed his mind after Deion Sanders took over at CU. He looked like a future star, but the Wildcats swooped in (probably with an NIL bag) and stole him. A fan favorite, the loss of Edwards was a tough blow for CU fans. He will return to Boulder on October 12th and that game will surely mean something more to Buffs on the field and in the stands.

Utah

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The Buffs and Utes spent 13 seasons together in the Pac-12, but nothing close to a rivalry formed during that time. Despite the conference’s best effort to push a “Rumble in the Rockies” rivalry game, the Buffs just weren’t good enough at football to hang with Kyle Whittingham and Co.

If CU can string together a couple of wins against the Utes on the gridiron to knock them off their pedestal, there’s a very high likelihood for beef to form. The Buffs and Utes are located relatively close to each other and in a geographically similar part of the country, but a rivalry would need CU to stay competitive on the field.

BYU

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Colorado’s fanbase certainly doesn’t have the best reputation around the college football world. Known for being obnoxious and borderline antagonistic, CU rowdy fans sure as hell won’t get along with the BYU fanbase.

With BYU being a private religious school run by the LDS, and having, uh, certain politics, these schools couldn’t be more different from each other. Buffs fan will have plenty of ammo to get under the skin of BYU fan, not dissimilar to what Utah fans have done in recent years (yes, this was against Southern Utah, but they do this kind of thing often).

Now the issue with both BYU and Utah is that they deeply hate each other, so there might be room for the Buffs in either case. Still, both teams have deeply passionate fans who could produce a bit of friction with the increasingly online portion of CU’s fans who haven’t yet been humbled by the last 20 years of football.

Arizona State

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On the one hand, the Sun Devils might be something of a fish out of water in the Big XII, having little to no history with anyone in the conference. On the other, ASU fans will fit in well with the fine folks of Waco, Lubbock and Ames, who each enjoy day drinking as much as they do mediocre football.

The Buffs could help with their transition, as these two teams do have a bit of history together even if neither was particularly successful in the Pac-12 era. Both fanbases can be rancid at time, as one hurls piss balloons while the other taunts an opposing player whose father was just assassinated by a terrorist organization.

They also had some heated moments in the Pac-12, from Tad Boyle tearing his Achilles trying to prevent a fight, to Drew Lewis injuring N’Keal Harry on a dirty hit, and of course Steven Montez saving his career best for a warm night in Tempe.

Maybe this light hatred can turn into something more. Or maybe ASU fans grow to hate other conference foes while CU fans re-air their grievances against their former Big 12 opponents.

Oklahoma State

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Coming into the new Big XII, both the Buffs and Pokes find themselves in a relatively weird situation concerning their rivalries. Colorado is coming into a conference in search of a new rival, while OSU’s biggest rival is jumping ship to the SEC. This seems like a perfect opportunity for some beef to form.

CU and OSU are vastly different from each other. Boulder is known for its hippie vibes and relaxed style, while Stillwater is founded on oil and agriculture. The coaches are a bit more bit similar, both a bit brash and confident, but in a way that might clash in the press conferences or on the field.

The bigger deal, of course, is that both teams will be competing for the Big XII crown in 2024 and some serious resentment could form between the two sides. The Pokes will be trying to established themselves as the top dogs in the new conference, while the Buffs are looking to complete Sanders’ turn around, and of course, avenge their loss in the 2016 Alamo Bowl.

by RylandScholes
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