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Colorado football's incredible season under second-year head coach Deion Sanders continued against Utah as the Buffaloes marched closer to a Big 12 title game berth. In the blowout home win, quarterback Shedeur Sanders maintained his remarkable form, and wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter became the clearcut favorite in the Heisman race. The Buffaloes are second in the conference and can secure a spot in the Big 12 championship if a few results go their way on Saturday.
Clark Williams, the Big 12's VP of Communications & Strategy, broke down how Deion Sanders and company can hit this milestone in Week 13. According to Williams, if Colorado football wins over a tricky Kansas team, and BYU and Utah take care of business, the Buffaloes will book their place in Arlington, Texas. Should the Buffaloes lose to the Jayhawks, things can get a lot more complicated.
Colorado football has completed a remarkable turnaround
Deion Sanders is on the verge of making the College Football Playoff with a program that was 1-11 the year before he took over. After a 4-8 record in Sanders' first year, there were still questions about whether the all-time great cornerback could turn around a program that hadn't been consistently relevant since the early 2000s. Those questions are gone now.
Since its early-season loss to Nebraska, Colorado football has been one of the hottest teams in college football. The Buffaloes have only lost one game since, in a tight affair at then-No. 18 Kansas State. The No. 17 ranked team in the country has been in control of its recent conference games, winning the past four by double digits.
Despite being under heavy pressure consistently, Shedeur Sanders has thrown for 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions with the 19th-best QBR in the country. His main target, Travis Hunter, is 14th in the country in receiving yards at 911 and has caught nine touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, the two-way player has been even more elite, with eight passes defended, three interceptions, and one forced fumble.
Overall, the Buffaloes' most considerable improvement this season has taken place on defense. Last year, the Buffaloes had the second-worst scoring defense in the PAC-12, giving up 34.8 points per game. Colorado football is currently sixth in the Big 12 in the same metric this season, letting up just 22.7 points a contest. That significant jump reflects why this team has gone from below .500 to a legitimate College Football Playoff contender.
While Deion Sanders' team is very close to a Big 12 title game berth, the matchup at Kansas is by no means a guaranteed win. The Jayhawks are coming off a stunning victory at No. 6 BYU and look to be resembling the team that had a preseason ranking of 19.
A few weeks ago, Kansas was 2-6, on the verge of missing a bowl game entirely. Two weeks later, head coach Lance Leipold's team has beaten two Big 12 contenders in a row: Iowa State and BYU. Therefore, despite a disappointing season, the Jayhawks have everything to play for on Saturday. And so do the Buffaloes.
The two other results Colorado would need to qualify on Saturday for the title game are a BYU win at Arizona State and a Utah win at home against Iowa State. Those are two results that could very much go either way. The Sun Devils have had a stunning year under second-year head coach Kenny Dillingham and now control their own destiny for a title game bid. In the other game, Utah football has struggled throughout the year from heartbreaking losses and brutal injuries.
Should Colorado lose against Kansas, it would be tied in the loss column with Arizona State and Iowa State. That result would lead to a wild day heading into Week 14, as many Big 12 teams would still be eligible for the title game. To avoid that chaos, Travis Hunter and company need to keep the pedal to the metal and win out.
