The Colorado State Rams are bringing football back to campus a little earlier than originally thought.

With Hughes stadium officially retired, the Rams are set to play the 2017 Green and Gold game at the Lagoon Field on campus on Saturday, April 22 at 1 p.m., according to a CSU press release.

In preparation for the Fall 2017 opening of CSU’s on-campus stadium, the Green and Gold game will act as a teaser for what fans can expect when football returns to the heart of campus for good. The game will be free and open to the public.

The Lagoon Field, which serves as the home for the Colorado State women’s soccer team, sits east of the Student Recreation Center and west of the LSC.

Parking will be free and available on game day in the Morgan Library, Moby Arena and Lory Student Center lots, as well as the South College and Lake Street garages. In conjunction with the CSU 2017 game day policy, parking will not be available for fans in the neighborhoods surrounding campus.

The Green and Gold game serves as the conclusion of 2017 spring practice for the Rams, which officially kicks off Tuesday, March 21, as the Rams take the field for the first of 15 spring practices in preparation for the upcoming season.

Coach Mike Bobo, offensive coordinator Will Friend and defensive coordinator Marty English will open things up with the spring practice press conference held at 1 p.m. on Monday, March 20, in the Mcgraw Center Auditorium.

In his third season at the helm, Bobo’s Rams return nine starters on defense and six on offense, led by first team All-Mountain West wide receiver Michael Gallup, and quarterback Nick Stevens, an honorable mention Mountain West performer from a season ago.

Collegian sports reporter Eric Wolf can be reached by email at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @Eric_Wolf5