Best CSU Rams: The Underdog Team Making Noise
Nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado State University (CSU) has long been overshadowed by its more prominent in-state rival, the University of Colorado Boulder.
Yet, in recent years, the CSU Rams football team has emerged as an unexpected contender, capturing the attention of fans and analysts alike.
Their underdog status has fueled a narrative of resilience and ambition, but beneath the surface lies a more complicated story one of financial strain, institutional challenges, and the precarious nature of mid-major success in college football.
While the CSU Rams’ recent success has been celebrated as a classic underdog tale, a deeper investigation reveals systemic obstacles that threaten their long-term viability, including financial disparities, recruiting limitations, and the broader instability of the Group of Five (G5) conferences.
Unlike Power Five (P5) programs, which benefit from lucrative television deals and massive athletic budgets, CSU operates at a significant financial disadvantage.
According to NCAA financial database, CSU’s athletic department revenue in 2022 was $52 million a fraction of the $150+ million budgets of Big 12 or SEC schools.
This disparity directly impacts recruiting, facility upgrades, and coaching salaries.
Despite opening the $220 million Canvas Stadium in 2017 a move intended to elevate the program CSU still struggles to compete for top-tier recruits.
As reported in 2023, the Rams’ recruiting classes consistently rank in the bottom half of the Mountain West Conference, forcing coaches to rely on overlooked prospects and transfer portal gambles.
The transfer portal has been both a lifeline and a liability for CSU.
While it has allowed the Rams to acquire experienced players from P5 programs such as former Florida quarterback Jack Miller III it has also led to roster instability.
A 2023 analysis found that G5 teams lose more players to the portal than they gain, often to wealthier P5 programs offering Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals.
CSU’s NIL collective, the Ram Collective, pales in comparison to collectives at schools like Texas or Alabama, which reportedly offer six-figure deals to recruits.
As one anonymous Mountain West coach told, We develop talent, but the second a player breaks out, the big schools come calling with money we can’t match.
CSU’s coaching history further illustrates the challenges of sustaining success.
After Jim McElwain led the Rams to two bowl games in 2013 and 2014, he left for Florida a common trajectory for G5 coaches.
His successors, Mike Bobo and Steve Addazio, struggled to maintain momentum, combining for a 21-40 record before Jay Norvell’s hiring in 2022.
Norvell, a former Nevada coach, has brought renewed energy, but skepticism remains.
As noted, G5 coaches who succeed often face unrealistic expectations, with fans demanding P5-level results despite structural disadvantages.
The Rams’ struggles are emblematic of a larger crisis in college football: the growing divide between P5 and G5 programs.
A 2022 investigation revealed that P5 conferences receive 80% of College Football Playoff (CFP) revenue, leaving G5 teams scrambling for scraps.
Even when a team like Cincinnati or UCF breaks through, systemic barriers prevent sustained success.
Some argue that expanded playoff access (beginning in 2024) will help, but critics, like Adam Kramer, contend that without revenue sharing reform, G5 teams will remain permanent underdogs.
The CSU Rams’ rise is undeniably compelling, but it exists within a system stacked against them.
While their underdog spirit resonates with fans, the harsh realities of financial inequity, roster turnover, and coaching instability suggest their noise may be fleeting.
Until structural changes address the widening gap between college football’s haves and have-nots, programs like CSU will continue fighting an uphill battle one where moral victories often outweigh tangible success.
The broader question remains: Is the underdog narrative enough to sustain a program, or is it merely a distraction from the systemic reforms needed to level the playing field? For the Rams and their fans, the answer may determine whether their story ends in triumph or another cautionary tale of college football’s inequities.