In the land of Colorado, there are two different types of people: cultured, welcoming, and kind-hearted individuals who happen to support or attend Colorado State University — the beautiful school tucked away in Fort Collins, Colorado, and those who attend the University of Colorado in Boulder.
The ongoing, vicious, ruthless rivalry amongst the two schools is something that can only be understood by a Ram or Buff fan. In lieu of this article that was written recently by a Buff who eloquently explained why CU was truly the better choice over CSU through overused, unoriginal, and overdone tag lines, I thought why not show everyone, including our neighbors to the West of us in Boulder, why CSU is the better school in comparison to CU.
Boulder kids love to bring up the fact that CU won the latest Rocky Mountain Showdown in 2015, 27-24 Buffs, but what they tend to leave out is that fact that CSU has been to a bowl game for the past three years whereas CU has yet to see the field at a bowl game since 2007, unless of course they attended one as a fan.
Let's move on from athletics because, believe it or not, there is a lot more to a University than just sports (maybe not for CU students, but especially so for CSU). Have you seen CSU's campus? Not only is there the legendary Oval that attracts hundreds daily, but there is also the No. 12 nationally ranked Recreation Center that ensures all CSU students stay in the best shape possible.
The Recreation Center is located in the middle of campus, between the Lagoon and our beautiful view of the Rocky Mountain skyline.
CU students may be a fan of their "hill" which encompasses the rows upon rows of frat houses and endless frat parties that are essentially crowded, dark, loud, not to mention very uncomfortable, as well as impersonal hangouts that revolve around black lighted rooms with a cheap strobe light in the corner. Sounds fun, right? Not for us Rams. Here at CSU the nightlife doesn't involve standing outside a house with a guy blocking the front door asking everyone, "Who do you know here?"
Instead, CSU students either head out to house parties that anyone is welcomed at (and may or may not end up on the national news like this one and this one) or a night out at the bars in Old Town. CSU was even named by Playboy as a top party school in 2014. Whether you're attending a block party, a house party, a pool party, or spending the night out in Old Town, you are guaranteed a good night in Fort Collins.
The people that reside in Fort Collins are some of the most kind, generous, original, and unique people you will ever meet. This is the town where strangers smile at you as you are walking down the street and you feel welcomed wherever you go. We even have a parade called Tour de Fat every year that's hosted by New Belgium. Everyone dresses up in costumes, rides bikes, and drinks beer. It doesn't get much better than that.
Boulder might have the Flatirons which serve as a picturesque backdrop for hiking, photos, and adventuring. However, the Flatirons are nowhere close in comparison to Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins. Not only can you go hiking at Horsetooth Reservoir, but it also serves as a place where you can bike, run, swim, cliff-dive, boat, paddle-board, and jet ski. The options of activities that are applicable for Horsetooth are endless, thus furthering the reasoning that CSU is better than CU.
Speaking of New Belgium and Tour de Fat, Fort Collins has become known as the Napa Valley of beer. We are home to multiple large and small-scale breweries. Whether you're a fan of the national brands like Odell or New Belgium, or smaller locals like Black Bottle or Equinox, loving beer is part of our culture. And hey, what's better than spending your 21st birthday on a bike tour of over nine local breweries?
My last point is this, CU kids are illiterate; I hate to be blunt but in this case I have no choice. They all are under the impression that "sko" is a real word. What even is "sko" and when will this heinous trend stop?
Please CU, please.
There's no denying CSU is better than CU in every way possible. All it takes is one trip to CSU to decide that the better school lies within Fort Collins. Boulder students and Buff fans, don't worry, we still appreciate your rivalry. You all can have the football, but here at CSU we know that there's so much more to life than that. We still know we are superior in just about everything else there is.