LARAMIE -- Wyoming could sabotage some bowl hopes.

It could close out its season with some momentum.

Or the Cowboys could send a message that coach Joe Glenn is actually making some progress.

Even with no hopes of playing past today's Border War with Colorado State, the Cowboys clearly aren't hurting for motivation.

But seemingly the only thing on their minds is reclaiming a slab of wood with a Bronze Boot perched on top.

"It means the world to me, and it means the world to not just me, but my teammates and the whole Wyoming staff," junior receiver Greg Bolling said. "We think about this game all year.

"Yeah, we think about our other games, but when it comes down to rivalry week, you can go ahead and throw the records out the door because they mean nothing."

The standings likely mean a little more to the Rams since they're one win shy of bowl eligibility, but after years of trying to fuel a rivalry with Colorado and downplaying the feud with UW, the heat finally appears to be back on both sides of the border.

With or without a bowl bid on the line, first-year Colorado State coach Steve Fairchild has put the emphasis back on the Cowboys and retaining the traveling trophy.

Having a former assistant and a quarterback that's gone to War for the Rams certainly hasn't hurt the intensity of the series any.

"I think it's as big of a rivalry as our school has, and I think both universities do a great job of not only making this important to the athletic department but to the entire school and the communities," Fairchild said. "That Bronze Boot is important to a lot of people, and we're fortunate at Colorado State that we have the Wyoming, the CU and the Air Force games that are all in their own right pretty good rivalries.

"But there's none that's more important to us than the Border War."

It hasn't really felt that way lately, which sort of left the Cowboys in flux since BYU will always be much more concerned with its Holy War against Utah and there aren't many other options for natural rivalries.

Certainly there aren't any other trophies for UW to win, and after having it snatched away last season in Fort Collins in Sonny Lubick's last game the Cowboys would like nothing more than to flip the script.

"It's a great rivalry," UW coach Joe Glenn said. "We talk about this Bronze Boot -- and really it isn't anything more than a boot on a piece of wood that's been bronzed -- but what it stands for, what it signifies, what it represents is huge for both teams. CSU has it right now, I think the Pokes want it back bad and it would be a great way to finish the season, and we anticipate really, really a tough battle.

"It should be a great day for football right here at the end of the season, and a chance to go close your season out with a win and get the Bronze Boot with a victory over your archrival, it couldn't get much better than that."

It might if the win is somehow enough to convince UW to give Glenn the contract extension he reportedly asked for instead of a different boot, but the Cowboys have enough to worry about right now as it is.

Even if they're trying to narrow the focus to one thing in particular.

"We've got to bounce back and try to get the Boot back," UW quarterback Chris Stutzriem said. "We want to win, we're not going to quit just because we can't go to a bowl game. We can still finish this by getting the Boot back.

"Coach Glenn, he still believes in us, he still trusts us, guys still believe in myself and I still believe in them, and we're going to give it everything we've got to get the Boot back."

Everything that might come with it is just a bonus.

Contact sports reporter Austin Ward at (307) 266-0634 or austin.ward@trib.com.