When the Colorado Buffaloes take on the Colorado State University Rams on Sunday in the Rocky Mountain Showdown at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium, a lot will be on the line: bragging rights between two great rivals, the Governor's Cup and, most importantly, the safety, character and reputation of the two universities and their respective student bodies.

With a 5:30 p.m. kickoff in Denver, Sunday's game will present a number of challenges to our fans.

To address the logistical challenges, we are urging CU fans to take buses to the game or carpool with a designated driver to minimize the traffic and the game's carbon footprint and to maximize safety.

In addition, we are urging all our fans -- particularly our student fans -- to be safe, responsible and respectful ambassadors of CU before, during and after the game.

The stakes for succeeding here are high. At this time of year, and with the Democratic National Convention having just left town, all eyes will still be on Denver and the students of Fort Collins and Boulder.

Those eyes include those of your parents, who want to know that their young people are safe and sound and representing them in a way that will make them proud.

They include those of local law enforcement, which will be out in full force on Sunday working the parking lots at Invesco before and after the game to ensure a safe and exciting game environment. The Denver Police Department has obtained a grant to help identify intoxicated individuals, underage drinkers and problem partiers, particularly those who are pre-gaming excessively.

Let's add to those sets of eyes those of state lawmakers -- many of whom make a point each year of attending the game in Denver -- and taxpayers who support both CU and CSU.

And, finally, in our list of who will be watching us, let us add the news media, whose post-game stories can be about the game or what happened off the field. We want to read the first story and not the second.

What we want all of these key observers to see is two engaged, spirited, excited groups of fans witnessing a friendly but intense rivalry on the field. What we don't want them to see is fans competing to see who can be the most irresponsible, thereby endangering their own safety and that of other fans, and in the process sending the wrong message about our respective institutions.

On behalf of our university, our fans, our alumni and the leadership of the University of Colorado at Boulder, we want to encourage you to behave responsibly and to make your families, your alumni and your university proud.

Support your team in a way that truly represents all that our great university stands for, and remember the Colorado Creed, your commitment "to act with honor, integrity and accountability in your interactions with others; to respect the rights of others; and to contribute to the great good of the community."

Show people what being a CU fan is all about -- and go Buffs!

G.P. "Bud" Peterson is CU's Boulder campus chancellor and Mike Bohn is the athletic director.