Colorado football had the most heartwarming moment of the season in its 49-24 home win over Utah. While Travis Hunter made another Heisman statement for Deion Sanders' team, the crowd was at its loudest when celebrating the birthday of a special fan. Peggy Coppom and Betty Hoover, known as “the twins,” have been superfans for the Buffaloes since the 1940s. The two attended over 2,500 Colorado sporting events throughout their lives.

Hoover passed away on August 5th, 2020, at 95. Saturday was Coppom's 100th birthday, which the Buffaloes' crowd decided to celebrate in style.

Colorado football's memorable season had another special moment

Colorado Buffaloes fans Peggy Coppom and Betty Hooverin before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Folsom Field.
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Holding back tears, the century-old Coppom watched a game that the Buffaloes controlled from start to finish. This moment is one of the many that showcases the very positive buzz around Deion Sanders' program. The second-year head coach in Boulder is having an incredible season. Colorado football now completely controls its own destiny for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

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This program's 8-2 record is remarkable, considering that the year before “Prime Time” took over, the Buffaloes were 1-11. Deion's son, Shedeur Sanders, is among the centerpieces for this turnaround and projects to be one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Travis Hunter is also expected to be among the top players selected. However, casting aside that and the speculation of Deion Sanders coaching the Cowboys, the Buffaloes have much to play for over these next few games.

As Peggy Coppom watches on, Colorado football has a tricky game at Kansas next Saturday before closing the regular season at home against Oklahoma State. If the Buffaloes win out, they will most likely meet the BYU Cougars, a program that has had a magical season of their own. Colorado football has not won a Big 12 championship since 2001. In the past 18 seasons, the program has only been to a conference championship game once.

One of the main reasons the Buffaloes have a chance to win the Big 12 is due to the significant jump their defense has taken. Heading into Week 12, Colorado's offense was averaging four more points than last season. Despite that improvement, it pales compared to improvement on defense. The Buffaloes have allowed twelve fewer points on this side of the ball than last year. The addition of NFL legend Warren Sapp to the coaching staff has clearly paid dividends for the program.

Overall, even if Colorado football were to lose out, this season would still be the program's highest win total since 2016. Deion Sanders took a team that had little reason to hope and made them into a legitimate Big 12 contender after one year—an extraordinary turnaround from one of the most compelling coaches of the past decade.