CSU football showdown with CU likely to draw more than 70,000

More than 70,000 fans are expected to attend Friday's Rocky Mountain Showdown football game in Denver between CSU and CU.

That would be the largest crowd to see the in-state rivals play since 2003 and one of the six-largest crowds ever for a college football game in the state. The game is being played at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, the 76,125-seat home of the NFL's Denver Broncos.

"It's a unique atmosphere," said Mike MacIntyre, the University of Colorado's fifth-year coach. "I think there was right at 70,000 last year, and I think there should be over 70,000 this year. I think it should be loud and exciting."

Last year's game between the two schools drew 69,850, the largest crowd for the game since an overflow of 76,219 in 2003.

The combined tickets out reported by the two schools Tuesday were nearly 64,000, with additional sales and thousands of Denver Broncos club-level ticket-holders expected to opt in for the 6 p.m. game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, as their contracts allow. They had until Wednesday to make that determination, a manager at the NFL team's ticket office said.

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CSU had sold 30,472 tickets to the game as of Tuesday afternoon, a school spokesman said. That included 8,001 student tickets. CU had distributed more than 33,500 tickets from its allotment, school spokesman David Plati said. That total includes the sale of 29,576 tickets, including 9,141 for students. The additional tickets out are for the school's marching band, players and coaches' families and corporate sponsors.

Most of the 1,747 tickets CSU had remaining to sell from its allotment were for students, spokesman Paul Kirk said. The Rams still had 680 tickets for the general public to sell, all in the upper deck of the east stands priced at $35-$40, and 1,067 student tickets for sale.

Sales through Ticketmaster were not available, although a spokeswoman said there were about 1,100 still available from its allotment.

CU, with a larger base of season ticket-holders, gets 55 percent of the stadium's 76,125 seats to sell to its fans, while CSU receives 45 percent of the seats for its fans.

CU had some tickets remaining in prime locations on the lower level of the west stands, priced at $85 apiece, as well as for seats in the upper deck of the west stands at $55 apiece and north end zone for $35 each.

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Both schools include the game in their season-ticket packages, although CU fans have been able to opt out in recent years. Plati said 26 percent of the school's 20,405 season ticket-holders had opted out of the Showdown in favor of additional tickets for another game at Folsom Field in Boulder.

CSU sold a record 15,200 season tickets for the 2017 season. The Rams opened their season Saturday, beating Oregon State 58-27 before a sellout crowd of 37,583 at their new on-campus stadium.

The two schools have played 88 times in football dating back to 1893, with the Buffs holding a 64-22-2 lead in the all-time series and 10-6 edge in the 16 games they've played in Denver since 1998.

The first game played in Denver between the two schools drew 76,036 to the old Mile High Stadium, with 73,000 or more on hand for four of the next five in the series, which moved to Sports Authority Field when it opened in 2001.

Follow reporter Kelly Lyell at twitter.com/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news and listen to him talk CSU sports at 11:35 a.m. Thursdays on KFKA radio (AM 1310).

Rocky Mountain Showdown

When: 6 p.m. Friday, Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver (parking lots open at 2 p.m.)

TV: Pac-12 Network (Comcast Ch. 430/840 HD; Dish Network Ch. 406/409; not available on DirecTV)

Radio: CSU broadcast on KARS (FM 102.9) and KDCO (AM 1340 and FM 104.7), CU broadcast on KDSP (AM 760)

Tickets: $35-$85 available through CSURams.com/tickets, CUBuffs.com/tickets or Ticketmaster.com.

Transportation: Bustang available from Fort Collins for $30 roundtrip; special RTD bus service available from Longmont, Thornton, Broomfield and Boulder from $5.20 to $9 each way and light-rail service on the B-line from Westminster for $2.60 each way.