There have been many more than 24 great games in the century since Folsom Field opened its doors. Every one of these honorable mentions merited serious consideration, but ultimately they didn’t make the list. Here they are in chronological order. Anything underlined is a YouTube link to the relevant video footage.
November 1, 1924 – CU 3, Utah 0
- Colorado Stadium (known since 1944 as Folsom Field) was officially dedicated in a grand ceremony before the homecoming game. A record crowd turned out to see the new digs, and the Silver & Gold squeaked by Utah on a late field goal by Earl Loser. Star CU quarterback Hatfield Chilson was 13-for-16 on pass attempts. This game was part of a conference championship season where Colorado did not surrender a single point to any opponent.
October 9, 1948 – CU 19, Nebraska 6
- Fred Casotti said of this game: “There’s nothing like your first time”. This was CU’s first conference game after moving up to the Big 7 Conference (which would later become the Big 8 and Big 12) and Nebraska was a three-touchdown favorite. The victory proved that the Buffs belonged in major college football.
October 31, 1959 – CU 21, Missouri 20
- On Halloween, the Buffs rose from the dead; storming back from a 20-6 fourth quarter deficit to shock the Tigers. Quarterback Gale Weidner gave fans a preview of the even greater heroics he would unleash against Kansas two years later by orchestrating two touchdown drives and completing a two-point conversion for the win.
October 14, 1967 – #6 CU 23, #17 Missouri 9
- A hard-fought, yet decisive victory over a very good opponent that moved the Buffs into the AP top 5 for the first time in school history. CU beat good Missouri teams at Folsom with such regularity in this era that it almost makes each individual one feel less special.
October 25, 1969 – CU 31, #5 Missouri 24
- This was to be #24 on the list before this year’s Baylor game happened. In a game that was played on a field that, as Fred Casotti put it, “resembled a World War II battlefield” thanks to torrential rains earlier in the month, the Buffs rocketed out to a 24-10 halftime lead behind star running back Bobby Anderson and a long touchdown pass from backup QB Paul Arendt. CU held for dear life in the second half, with a Phil Irwin interception sealing the deal. This was no paper tiger the Buffaloes had felled. The 1969 Missouri squad defeated four top-20 teams and lost only one other game – the Orange Bowl against undefeated Penn State. CU was just 3-2 heading into this game, but the upset helped propel them to a solid 8-3 record and a #16 final ranking.
October 27, 1973 – CU 17, #7 Missouri 13
- A great game that suffers in the rankings because of the way the season unfolded afterward. Missouri came to Folsom at 6-0, having already knocked off #2 Nebraska a few weeks prior. The Buffs were 4-2 and trying to stay in the hunt for the Big 8. CU running back Jim Kelleher scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter and the Buffs pulled off the upset to improve their record to 5-2. It would be the last win of legendary coach Eddie Crowder’s career. CU lost their final four games to finish 5-6, and he resigned.
September 17, 1994 – #7 CU 55, #10 Wisconsin 17
- Barry Alvarez brought his Rose Bowl champion Wisconsin Badgers into Boulder along with an enthusiastic horde of red that would make Nebraska jealous. They ran into a buzzsaw. The 1994 Buffs were loaded with the most NFL talent in program history, and they were firing on all cylinders in this blowout. Rashaan Salaam scored four touchdowns and Kordell Stewart had over 300 passing yards in a win that set the Buffs up for a clash with #4 Michigan the following week. You’ve probably heard of that one before.
November 16, 1996 – #6 CU 12, #9 Kansas State 0
- How could a November matchup between top-1o teams possibly miss out on the top 24? If you love defensive football in inhospitable conditions, this is the game for you. But CU led by two touchdowns for the entire second half and the game was short on drama. Even at the time, this was viewed as nothing but a stepping stone before the upcoming Nebraska game. A necessary roadblock, but not a game that people had circled on their calendars. CU fans had been spoiled by a plethora of highly-ranked matchups over the previous eight seasons, and this one didn’t really stand out from the rest.
November 26, 1999 – CU 30, #3 Nebraska 33 (OT)
- For pure excitement and drama, this one is hard to top. CU staged an impossible rally from 27-3 down in the fourth quarter and, after a series of turnovers that has to be seen to be believed, had a chance to win in regulation with a short field goal. Alas, it was not to be. One of the most heartbreaking afternoons in program history, and heartbreak has no place in the top 24.
September 4, 2004 – CU 27, Colorado State 24
- After a memorable six years in Denver, the Rocky Mountain Showdown returned to Folsom Field. For the first time since 1988, neither team was ranked, but the temperature of the rivalry was still hot. This game set a Folsom Field attendance record that would only be topped by the following year’s RMS. It all came down to two CSU plays from the CU one-yard line with the Buffs clinging to a 3-point lead in the final minute. Former Buffalo Marcus Houston was stuffed at the goal line, and poor clock management prevented the Rams from attempting a game-tying field goal as time ran out.
September 18, 2008 – CU 17, #21 West Virginia 14
- The second-ever Folsom Field blackout was a memorable atmosphere, and the crowd rushed the field after the game-winning field goal by Kevin Eberhart in overtime. As a football game, it didn’t offer much after CU scored two early touchdowns, and the Buffs’ 3-0 record after the win turned into a disappointing 5-7 finish.
October 2, 2010 – CU 29, Georgia 27
- Anyone familiar with current trends in college football would assume that a CU victory over the University of Georgia must have been a monumental achievement. But the 2010 Bulldogs weren’t a very good football team. They limped into Boulder with a record of 1-3, and the Buffs ensured that they left at 1-4. Still, this was a fun game in a great atmosphere. Many Georgia fans made the trek to Boulder and Folsom was rocking all night – never more so than when the Buffs pounced on a UGA fumble in the final minutes to preserve the win. This was the high point of CU’s season, and it was followed by a five-game losing streak that cost Dan Hawkins his job.
October 6, 2018 – #21 CU 28, Arizona State 21
- This was Laviska Shenault’s finest hour. He accounted for all four CU touchdowns (two rushing, two receiving) as the Buffs improved to 5-0 on the season. Unfortunately, an injury the following week against USC torpedoed Viska’s chance at having the greatest season by a receiver in CU history, and the Buffs collapsed with a seven-game losing streak to end the season.
September 9, 2023 – #22 CU 36, Nebraska 14
- The first home game of Deion Sanders’ tenure was a dream come true. In contrast to the red invasion of 2019, Nebraska fans were largely kept out by an enthusiastic CU fanbase that packed the stadium well before the early 10 AM kickoff. It took a while for the Buffalo offense to get going, but the Huskers made too many mistakes to take advantage. Eventually, Shedeur Sanders and CU cruised to an easy victory in a game that was unmemorable for its football but euphoric for any CU fan.
