Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders looks to throw against Oklahoma State at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo., on Nov. 29, 2024.(Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)
After coming up short of reaching the Big 12 championship game, the Colorado Buffaloes are now in a holding pattern.
Head coach Deion Sanders and the Buffs, who moved up three spots to No. 20 in the Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday, know they have a bowl game to look forward to later this month. They just won’t officially know where they’re going until Selection Day on Dec. 8.
“We plan on going out there fighting, just like we fought today, regardless of where we are,” Sanders said after his team’s 52-0 rout of Oklahoma State in the regular-season finale on Friday at Folsom Field. “I wish we had say-so in the bowl because I want to go somewhere near where our fan base can get there economically because I care about them just that much.”
Most likely, the Buffs (9-3, 7-2 Big 12) will be heading to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on Dec. 28 (5:30 p.m. MT, ABC). The Holiday Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 27 (6 p.m. MT, Fox) is also possible.
While the Buffs returned to the Big 12 Conference this season, their 13-year membership in the Pac-12 is still a factor when it comes to bowl season. For this year and 2025, the two remaining Pac-12 teams and the 10 teams who have since moved to other conferences are still contractually tied to the Pac-12 bowls.
Seven of the 12 “Pac-12” teams are bowl eligible. Oregon (12-0) is a lock to make the 12-team College Football Playoff as either the Big Ten champion or as an at-large team. Arizona State (10-2), which plays in the Big 12 title game on Saturday, could also land in the CFP if it beats Iowa State to win the conference.
Other “Pac-12” bowl teams are Washington State (8-4), California (6-6), USC (6-6) and Washington (6-6).
Related Articles
AP college football poll, Week 14: CU Buffs climb up three spots, Oregon still No. 1
Football: CU Buffs fall short of reaching Big 12 title game
Minnesota State eliminates CSU Pueblo in heartbreaking fashion
Keeler: CSU Rams’ Jay Norvell doesn’t need new offensive play-caller, ex-AD Jack Graham says. “He needs money and he needs talent.”
What needs to happen for CU Buffs to make the Big 12 Championship game?
After the 12-team CFP is set on Dec. 8, the rest of the bowls make their selections. The Alamo Bowl has first choice among the old Pac-12 teams. (The Holiday Bowl has second choice.) The other team in the Alamo will be from the Big 12, which makes for an interesting situation this year.
Most likely, BYU (10-2) or Iowa State (10-2) will head to the Alamo to represent the Big 12. Because Arizona State would have already played both, it’s highly unlikely the Sun Devils would head to San Antonio for a rematch.
That leaves CU as the most likely option for the Alamo Bowl.
CU would be the most attractive option for the Alamo, anyway, because Coach Prime’s team has generated great TV ratings for the past two seasons. The Buffs also have arguably the two biggest stars in college football in quarterback Shedeur Sanders and cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter, who is the frontrunner to win the Heisman Trophy.
To the delight of Buff fans — as well as bowl representatives — Coach Prime has said CU’s stars will play in a bowl game.
“Our kids are gonna play in our bowl game because that’s what we signed up to do and we’re going to finish,” Coach Prime said on Friday. “We’re not gonna tap out because that throws off the structure of next season. There’s a couple teams, take note, they laid an egg in the bowl game and they haven’t recovered since. We don’t plan on doing that.”
In recent years, several top NFL prospects have opted out of bowl games, but it appears that won’t be the case for Shedeur and Hunter, both projected by many as top-five picks in the 2025 draft.
So, whether the Buffs spend the holidays in San Antonio, San Diego or somewhere else, fans should have one more chance to see the stars.
“It’s a team thing, that’s what it boils down to,” Shedeur said. “Me and Travis and a couple other players out there know the Buffs are not gonna look the same initially going down to the game (without them playing). So we understand the piece we are to the team, just the leaders overall and the amount of players that would sit out if we weren’t out there doing it.
“We gotta lead by example. We can’t want them to go out there and play hard and we’re sitting back chilling. So that’s something that dad talked to us about, and I was like, OK, it don’t really make a difference to me, because I always play almost every game of the season that I could.”
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.