coloradostateramsFans of the Rocky Mountain Showdown can put down your beers and take a deep breath. The University of Colorado and Colorado State University have announced that the annual showdown will continue for at least the next 11 years, through 2020 (via The Denver Post).

The two teams will square off this Sunday at Folsom Field in Boulder and will then play the next 10 years at Invesco Field at Mile High. ESPN points out that neutral-site clashes are becoming more common throughout college football, but the CU-CSU skirmishes in Denver are unique in that fans from both schools have about an hour’s drive to the stadium. cu-logo

Each school stands to net an additional $600,000 by playing the game in Denver, reports the Fort Collins Coloradoan, but college football purists believe such games should be played on campuses. That argument might make sense in places where college football reigns supreme (I’m looking at you Texas and Florida), but not in Colorado.

InDenverTimes writes that the rivalry may not be legit and that it faces an “identity crisis.”

The remedy? A duel that a storyline can be built around, like hippies versus farmers or rich kids taking on blue-collar students. InDenverTimes suggests that CU and CSU should take a look west, where Utah and Brigham Young face off every year in the “Holy War.”

Whoa. Let’s start with hippies versus farmers and work on our story from there.