Colorado vs. Utah: Inside the ‘Rumble in the Rockies’ rivalry

Important numbers behind the history between Buffs and Utes

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday afternoon, the Colorado Buffaloes and Utah Utes will share the field at Rice Eccles Stadium for the final time as members of the Pac-12. This annual tradition that has become known as the ‘Rumble in the Rockies,’ was revived in 2011 when each institution joined the conference. But the rivalries’ history extends well beyond the past 13 seasons. In fact, this weekend's tilt will be the 70th meeting between the two schools in neighboring states.

With both programs set to join the Big 12 in 2024, we decided to look at some important numbers inside one of college football’s most historic rivalries.

FIRST MEETING: 1903

The first ever meeting between the two schools on October 3, 1903, resulted in a 22-0 shutout victory for the Buffaloes.

LAST MEETING: 2022

The No. 14 Utes outgained the Buffaloes 662-185 in route to a dominating 63-21 win in Boulder last fall.

TOTAL GAMES: 69

Colorado and Utah faced each other 57 times between 1903 and 1962. The only years they didn’t square off on the gridiron were 1909, 1918, 1959 and 1960. The schools have played each other 12 times since joining the Pac-12.

OVERALL RECORD: UTAH 34-32-3

Through 69 contests, the Utes hold a slim two-game edge over the Buffaloes.

LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY: 54

There have been several lopsided affairs between the two schools, but none bigger than Colorado’s 54-0 rout of Utah on November 10, 1951.

LONGEST WIN STREAK: 9

From 1925 to 1933, Utah won nine consecutive games against Colorado. During this stretch, the Utes held the Buffaloes scoreless four straight times from 1929-1932, outscoring them by a combined 120-0.

CURRENT WIN STREAK: 6

Utah has dominated the last six meetings and averaged 39.7 points per game in that span to Colorado’s 15.0.

As for the future of the ‘Rumble in the Rockies’ beyond Saturday? Per the Big 12 Football scheduling matrix released earlier this month, each of the 16 teams in the supersized conference will play one another at home and on the road at least once over a four-year period from 2024-’27.

Chart of how many times Big 12 schools will play each other over the next four seasons: pic.twitter.com/naBzJuODpi

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) November 1, 2023

However, as you can see in the tweet above, the Big 12 is only prioritizing four rivalries during the next four years: Arizona-Arizona State, Baylor-TCU, Kansas-Kansas State, and The Holy War, Utah-BYU. So, while the Buffaloes and Utes won’t face each other every year, it’s good to know the ‘Rumble in the Rockies’ will continue.