The Rocky Mountain Showdown between the Colorado Buffaloes and Colorado State Rams already got heated even before the game began. Tensions flared during pregame warmups, resulting in a minor altercation involving players from both teams.

If anyone harbored doubts that the rivalry between in-state foes Colorado and Colorado State had become personal leading up to their Saturday night showdown, the pregame incident certainly dispelled them.

The Incident

The catalyst for this heated exchange can be traced back to Rams head coach Jay Norvell. Recall that he criticized Deion Sanders, providing him with ample motivation to fire up his team. Norvell took issue with Sanders allegedly not showing respect by not removing his hat and eyewear when addressing adults. Sanders promptly responded to this critique.

Before this game kicked off, the teams engaged in pregame warmups on the field. This was when tensions reached a boiling point, culminating in an altercation at midfield. According to reports, a CSU player swatted away a pass intended for Travis Hunter, which ignited the minor scuffle involving both the Buffs and Rams. Shedeur Sanders, the Colorado football quarterback, expressed his displeasure at CSU's actions and engaged in a heated exchange of words with opposing players. Notably, Hunter found himself in the midst of the commotion.

All of this unfolded approximately 90 minutes before kickoff at Folsom Field.

It's essential to note that both Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter play pivotal roles for the Buffaloes and have been making headlines in the lead-up to the game. Sanders previously set a CU record with 510 passing yards in a game against TCU, while Hunter emerged as Sanders' primary receiving target with 11 catches for 119 yards in the same contest. Sanders also stoked the rivalry fire by responding to a taunt from a Colorado State player on social media.

Before the game, we made three bold predictions for Colorado football, including an expectation of an outstanding performance from Sanders and Hunter.

As of the time of writing, the showdown between Colorado football and the Rams is still ongoing.