Take off the gloves and ring the bell, because this fight shows no mercy.

It’s that time of year again to find any and every thread that connects us with CU-Boulder and cut it loose.

This weekend, your Boulder friends don’t exist. Your brother who goes to CU has been adopted into the family across the street that the whole neighborhood despises. Your girlfriend who decided to be a Buffalo suddenly seems completely unattractive (things weren’t meant to work out anyway).

Why?

If you haven’t figured that one out by now, you clearly have yet to experience every emotion that is accompanied with the Rocky Mountain Showdown.

The age-old rivalry dates back earlier than both World Wars, the Great Depression and the sinking of the Titanic. Pre-1900s, 1893 to be exact, when the Rams, then known as the Aggies, welcomed the Buffs to Fort Collins for the first-ever match up between the two.

Fast forward to today.

The Showdown still serves as the main reason why college football in the state of Colorado is special. It provides a chance for everybody to engage. It helps alumni from each college take pride in their alma mater, towns to feel like communities and most importantly, students to feel connected with their school.

On Sunday, a mob of 50,000 people are going to filter into Sports Authority Field at Mile High to watch the Rams and Buffaloes, who mix about as well as oil and water, collide on the same gridiron.

After the conclusion of the game, one school will walk away with its head down and tail between its legs; the other in absolute euphoria.The winning team will be awarded the upper hand over the course of the next year, the defeated will have to accept being cast in their shadow until the next shot at redemption.

Without question, the student presence at the game is what makes the event what it is. That being said, it is the duty of the student population to be present in support of their team, so if you decided to spend all of your money on a Macklemore ticket instead, shame on you.

Not all of the football games on campus have much allure, but if you’re only going to attend one this school year, this is it.

The Rams are set for the big stage. Our own collegiate football team is going to be competing in a professional football stadium, running on the same grass that Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos go to work on every other Sunday.

If you aren’t convinced yet, consider the fact that we are the underdog. CU has dominated CSU in the all-time record of the Showdown 61-21-2, allowing them to look at us as the little brother school.

I prefer it that way. Everybody loves watching the storyline that features those counted down and out come back and shock the world — there’s no reason why that can’t be us. After topping CU in 2012, we currently hold the bragging rights — those that the entire CSU community should intend to keep.

Speaking from personal experience, there is no better feeling to be a face in the crowd shouting “I’m proud to be a CSU Ram” as loud as you can while the players in the green and gold jerseys hoist the Centennial Cup to the sky.

Be prepared for the goose bumps.

Follow @QSickafoose

Sports Editor Quentin Sickafoose can be reached at sports@collegian.com. Follow him on Twitter @QSickafoose. Stay updated on the game through our live game blog on collegian.com.