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Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter has another chance to shine Saturday in a game against Utah. The Buffaloes need Hunter to post big numbers; Colorado football controls its destiny to make the Big 12 championship game. The Buffaloes have just one conference loss, and are bowl eligible for the first time in Coach Deion Sanders' tenure.
There will be plenty of eyeballs watching this Colorado-Utah game, including NFL scouts. The Big 12 showdown is a part of Big Noon Kickoff, on FOX. Here are some bold predictions for how Hunter will perform against Utah in this conference battle.
Travis Hunter will catch at least 9 passes in this game
There's no doubt that Hunter is the top target in the Colorado football passing offense. He's put up some spectacular numbers this season for the Buffaloes. That includes 69 receptions, for 856 yards and nine receiving touchdowns.
Hunter continued his solid production, in Colorado's last game against Texas Tech. The wide receiver posted nine receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown. He will need to at least match that production against Utah, who have a stronger pass defense than Texas Tech. If he doesn't, Colorado may not be able to defeat the Utes.
Utah boasts the best scoring defense in the Big 12. The Utes are allowing only 17 points a game, per league stats. That Utah defense will come to win on Saturday, as the Utes are coming off an extremely disappointing close defeat to BYU.
Colorado and Utah will be a truly interesting matchup. Colorado football has the second bess passing offense in the league, while Utah football has the second best passing defense. Something will have to give in this game, and there's just too much on the line for Hunter not to show up and have a good game.
That leads to the next bold prediction for this contest.
Travis Hunter will see snaps on defense and post at least three tackles
Hunter entered the 2024 season as the Big 12 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. He's lived up to his billing; Hunter has posted 20 tackles this season working as a defensive back. The Colorado football star also has two interceptions and seven passes defended.
The Colorado two-way player has been on the field for nearly every snap of the season. While he's not carrying as much of the load in the last few weeks, Colorado still uses him a great deal on defense. Against Utah, that may change again. The Utah offense can move the ball, although it's not posting great numbers. That's due to the injury to starting quarterback Cam Rising.
Against Utah, Hunter should be once again helping his defense get stops. He should be playing a majority of the team's defensive snaps. His tenacity on both sides of the ball has left many people impressed, including NFL veteran Jordan Palmer.
“I can't tell you what he has,” Palmer said, per CBS Sports. “We think competing is like finishing a play or wanting to win, leaving it all on the field. That's the more traditional way that we evaluate … It's not that he's playing every play that's the most impressive piece to me. It's clearly that he is trying to play every single play.”
Colorado football will defeat Utah at home
The Buffaloes will do enough against Utah to earn the victory, in what should be a terrific game. Utah is battling for bowl eligibility, and trying to salvage a once promising season. Colorado football is fighting to control its path to the Big 12 title game, and a possible trip to the College Football Playoff.
In the end, Colorado and Hunter should do just enough to get the victory and survive another week. Hunter will post one of his best performances of the year, and the Buffaloes will continue to have reasons to hope for a special season. The two-way star should also put up a few more plays that can go on his end of the season highlight reel.
Colorado and Utah battle on Saturday at 12:00 Eastern. Colorado football enters the game with a 7-2 record, while Utah is 4-5.
