FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Colorado State University has officially become a member of the Pac-12 conference.
For many Rams fans, it's a milestone they've waited decades to see.
▶️ WATCH: Denver7 spoke with a longtime Rams fan and CSU Athletic Director John Weber about what the move means
One of them is Kevin Keefe. Keefe has followed CSU athletics since attending his first football game as a junior in high school in 1976. After moving to Fort Collins in 2012, he became a season-ticket holder for women's basketball, men's basketball and volleyball.
"Orange was our original color, pumpkin orange," Keefe said. "We were the Colorado State Aggies. It's still my favorite."
Now, he says joining the Pac-12 opens the door to bigger matchups and new travel opportunities.
"It'll be good to have a presence down in Texas again because our alumni base there is huge," he said. "It'll also be exciting for our fans to travel to the Pacific Northwest, Washington and Oregon."
Colorado State Athletic Director John Weber believes the move is about more than athletics.
"At the end of the day, we're here to market the university," Weber said. "It's an opportunity for our academic enterprise to grow, for our research portfolio to grow and certainly to compete on the national stage from an athletics perspective."
The transition does come with costs, including exit fees associated with leaving the Mountain West Conference.
"There are exit fees associated with us leaving the Mountain West and joining the Pac-12," Weber said. "The Pac-12 helped with some of that, so we're in a good spot there."
Weber also believes the conference change could provide an economic boost as the new Pac-12 media agreement takes shape and higher-profile conference games bring more visitors to the city.
For Keefe, though, the excitement is much simpler.
No matter who the Rams play or where they play, he plans to be there cheering them on.
"I'm looking forward to the Pac-12," Keefe said.
