FORT COLLINS — To Jim Mora, BYU used to be the underdog.
His new fan base would probably beg to differ.
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To Colorado State, the team from Provo has often been a reminder of what is possible but yet to be achieved.
Back in the old Western Athletic Conference, the Cougars were the team the Rams — and everyone else — were chasing.
From 1976 through 1993, an era of dominance for BYU under Hall of Fame coach LaVell Edwards that featured the program’s lone national championship in 1984, CSU was 1-16 against the Cougars. BYU leads the all-time series 39-27-3 and has won the last seven matchups, with the Rams’ last win still being that memorable 58-13 blowout in Provo in 2003.
Bradlee Van Pelt (11) of Colorado State looks downfield for an open receiver in the first quarter against Brigham Young University Thursday, Oct. 9, 2003, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/George Frey)
In the early portion of his coaching career in the NFL, Mora was around famous BYU quarterbacks Jim McMahon and Ty Detmer, the 1990 Heisman Trophy winner.
How Mora sees them now is wildly different, to be clear, as BYU comes to Fort Collins on Saturday night (5:30 p.m. CBS) as the No. 11 team in the country — the highest ranking of any visitor in the history of Canvas Stadium, opened in 2017.
“They’re not the underdog anymore,” Mora said. “I always felt like they were disciplined and tough like they are now. They played football the right way, like they do now. It’s just that in those days there was a little bit of an underdog feel to them and now they’re a powerhouse.”
If there’s one thing Mora and CSU fans can agree on when it comes to BYU, though, it is that the formula the Cougars have used to successfully navigate over a decade without a conference to call home to now being one of the best programs in the Big 12 is one the Rams have long wanted to follow and believe they still can, especially with this summer’s move to the new-look Pac-12.
“Quite frankly, it’s a little bit of a road map for us here,” Mora said. “Sticking with good people, doing the right things, making good decisions, continuing to elevate in all areas of your program, which are the things we’re doing here — it’s just a great road map.”
That road map starts with a great head coach, which BYU has in Kalani Sitake, a former fullback under Edwards in the late 1990s, who is already in year 11 in charge of his alma mater after taking over following Bronco Mendenhall’s tenure.
Brigham Young head coach Kalani Sitake, center, joins his players in paying tribute to fans after an NCAA college football game against Colorado Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
After the program had just one 10-win season in the 2010s, the Cougars have had four in the last six seasons dating back to 2020, an appearance in last year’s Big 12 championship game and a No. 11 finish in the AP Top 25 poll, the highest in a full season since 1996 — BYU’s last outright WAC championship and top 5 ranking.
“I have a ton of regard for Kalani. I’ve known him a long time and you know that his teams are gonna be tough,” Mora said. “They’re gonna play on the edge, they’re gonna play with discipline. They’re not gonna do things to hurt themselves. They’re gonna be sound defensively, they’re gonna be physical and run the ball offensively.
“They’re about as complete a team you’ll find in the country. They’re a College Football Playoff contender.”
That, in short, is what CSU wants to become.
Even though Mora is certainly in the latter stages of his coaching career at age 64, he doesn’t appear to be someone who is slowing anytime soon and the Rams hired him because he’s a proven program builder in a modern era of college football in the same way Sitake has proven to be.
“(Sitake’s) adjusted to the new era of college football very well,” said CSU quarterbacks coach Matt Mitchell, who was on staff at BYU from 2022-25. “It’s always gonna be about the culture first there, but there’s also an understanding of what college football has become. He’s done a really, really good job of that and still having high standards and a great culture.”
It’s early, but the signs are there for the Mora era in Fort Collins.
Colorado State linebacker Jaylen King (27) intercepts the ball intended for Wyoming wide receiver Eric Richardson (2) during an NCAA college football game in Fort Collins, Colo., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)
The Rams are 2-0 for the first time in 15 years, but Mora is far from satisfied. Asked this week, following a 58-24 demolition of Southern Utah, what he wants his team to improve, he had a laundry list ready to read off. It’s not surprising, given where Mora has been in his career, but it’s a level of expectation and standard-setting Fort Collins hasn’t seen much of since the Sonny Lubick era.
“It’s a never-ending quest for perfection,” Mora said. “You never reach it, but you just keep going after it. We don’t let any details slip.”
Mora also knows that if his program wants to be like BYU, it has to beat teams like BYU. The Cougars’ long-awaited return to Fort Collins is a big moment early in a new era, and failing to meet the moment has been the Rams’ calling card for nearly two decades, especially in recent years.
Maybe not anymore, though.
“We will fight. I can promise all CSU fans, we’ll fight,” Mora said. “A really good team BYU has, ranked No. 11 in the country. Those are the challenges we love. Those are the challenges we live for.”
King’s Prediction
No. 11 BYU 28, Colorado State 17
Jim Mora called this a “hefty challenge” for a reason. The Cougars are really tough and really talented. They should control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and should win by three touchdowns or more. But the Mora factor can’t be discounted. The Rams have looked like a professional outfit through two weeks, and even though this game will feature plenty of adversity, they’ve got enough talent and determination to deliver a respectable showing and cover the 17.5-point spread.
King’s Players to Watch
Colorado State: OL Quinton Harris, DB Elijah Brown
The Rams were missing two key offensive linemen, maybe their two most talented, to start the season in Harris, a TCU transfer who started multiple games last season and Oregon State transfer Jayden Tuia, who has yet to return. Harris made his CSU debut last week at left tackle, and his presence back in the lineup will be important against an imposing BYU defensive line. Defensively, Brown was all over the field a week ago, finishing with 7 total tackles, 2 quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks from the nickel cornerback spot. He’ll be relied upon to make plays in the backfield again this week against a potent Cougars run game.
BYU: QB Bear Bachmeier, LB Cade Uluave
Speaking of that Cougars rushing attack, it’s all made possible by the legs of Bachmeier, still a young quarterback but one who already has a ton of experience. He looks like a linebacker, and that’s not just because he wears No. 47. The sophomore will be a nightmare for the CSU defense to handle as he consistently fights for hard yards while taking care of the football as a passer. On defense, BYU has one of the best linebacker duos in the country, led by Uluave, a California transfer who has 9 tackles and an interception through two weeks.