Colorado Buffaloes Football

Deion Sanders is not happy about Travis Hunter being snubbed from the list of finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award on Tuesday.

The Colorado head coach, who won the award at Florida State in 1988, voiced his frustration about Hunter not being included among the best defensive backs in the country.

"How is Travis Hunter snubbed by the Thorpe Award?" Sanders said at his weekly news conference Tuesday in Boulder, per USA Today's Brent Schrotenboer. "You can have my award. You can have it back. Matter of fact, I'm going to give him mine. I ain't using it. It's just sitting up there collecting dust. So Travis can have my Thorpe Award, because if this ain't the most idiotic thing in college football, that he's not a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award and he is, I would say arguably, but I don't think it's really an argument about this young man being the best defensive back in college football."

The finalists for the coveted award are Jahdae Barron of Texas, Caleb Downs of Ohio State and Malaki Starks of Georgia. Hunter has 30 tackles, a forced fumble and three interceptions this season and his numbers are similar to those who were named as finalists.

While Hunter won't hear his name called for the Thorpe Award, he's still in the running for a few other trophies.

He was named one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the top receiver in college football. Hunter, a two-way star, has 1,036 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns this year. He's also a frontrunner for perhaps the biggest individual award in college football: the Heisman Trophy.

As Colorado prepares to end its regular season on Saturday against Oklahoma State, head coach Deion Sanders made it clear that stars Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter won't be riding off into the sunset just yet.

When asked if the 2025 NFL draft prospects will be playing their last game in a Buffaloes uniform on Saturday, Sanders told reporters, "No, we got a bowl game. It's not the last time you're gonna see them in a Buff uniform."

In recent years, it has become a trend for star college football players to sit out bowl games in preparation for the NFL draft. Colorado's star duo is among the top prospects in this year's draft class, but Sanders sounds confident that the two of them won't be ending their college careers this week.

Shedeur Sanders, Deion's son, is ranked as the No. 2 quarterback prospect in the 2025 draft by B/R's NFL Scouting Department. He's completed 73.4 percent of his passes for 3,488 yards, 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season.

Hunter is a Heisman Trophy contender and one of the most unique prospects ever to go to the NFL thanks to his two-way prowess. The 21-year-old has excelled both as a wide receiver and a cornerback, leading B/R's NFL Scouting Department to rank him as the top overall player in the draft class.

Colorado's upset loss to Kansas this past Saturday likely ended its chances of earning a spot in the Big 12 championship game. At 8-3 entering their regular-season finale, the Buffaloes seem unlikely to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.

While it would be a surprise to see Hunter and Sanders suit up for a non-playoff bowl game, college football fans would certainly relish the opportunity to see them one last time before they transition to the professional level.

One NFL assistant general manager believes that Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders' "on-field demeanor" makes him the best quarterback in the 2025 NFL draft.

"He's been the best of the bunch to me, and I've been impressed by his growth this year," the NFC executive said, per ESPN's Jordan Reid. "The on-field demeanor has been contagious so far, and the results have shown on that team this year."

Sanders has led Colorado to an 8-3 record that has the Buffaloes in the running for the Big 12 title game and a potential College Football Playoff berth.

The second-year Colorado quarterback leads the Big 12 with a 73.4 completion rate, 3,488 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns. He is also tied for the FBS lead with 11 go-ahead touchdown passes, per Reid.

Those clutch touchdowns included a last-second game-tying Hail Mary pass to LaJohntay Wester on Sept. 21 that powered the Buffaloes to a Week 4 overtime win over Baylor.

SHEDEUR WITH A HAIL MARY TD TO FORCE OT 🔥🔥

THIS GAME IS ABSURD.

(via @CFBONFOX) pic.twitter.com/ii6BLUPgen

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 22, 2024

Colorado hit the road to take on Kansas last Saturday with the opportunity to secure a spot in the conference championship game by winning out. But that plan hit a snag when the Buffaloes were upset by the unranked Jayhawks in Week 11.

Sanders completed 23 of 29 pass attempts for 266 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, but the Buffaloes were unable to answer two late rushing touchdowns that sealed the upset.

The Buffaloes now require a victory against Oklahoma State— as well as the right combination of wins and losses from Arizona State, Iowa State and BYU— to qualify for the Big 12 title game.

How Sanders steps up for his team in Friday's upcoming must-win home game could further bolster his campaign to become the first quarterback selected by an NFL team in Green Bay this April.

The final week of the college football regular season is going to be chaotic in the Big 12.

Heading into Week 14, four teams sit at 6-2 in conference play while while five teams are at 5-3. That means nine teams are still in the mix to reach the Big 12 Championship and there are a handful of tiebreaker scenarios at play.

Here's a look at the tiebreaker scenarios from the conference, via Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger.

Big 12 says nine teams - NINE - are in contention for the title game. Here are the tie-breaker scenarios: pic.twitter.com/BjMsbLmosW

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 24, 2024

The easiest scenario would be if two of the top four teams lost their season finales. That would mean the two 7-2 teams would go to the Big 12 championship. Colorado has arguably the easiest matchup of the week as it will take on Oklahoma State, which has not won a conference game all year. Arizona State has a manageable game against Arizona, Iowa State will face Kansas State and BYU will take on Houston.

As chaotic as this season has been, the easiest scenario is not the most likely one. The only thing the Big 12 championship contenders can do at this point is to take care of business in their final games of the season and hope everything else falls into place.

Heading into Week 13, Colorado controlled its Big 12 championship hopes after suffering just one previous conference loss. That changed on Saturday when Kansas beat the Buffs 37-21. The Jayhawks, who started the year 1-5, have miraculously won three consecutive ranked matchups.

BYU, which started the year 9-0, was also a victim of a Kansas upset and lost another game to Arizona State on Saturday, which largely complicated the Big 12 championship scenarios.

After Kansas and other teams played spoiler to the Big 12's chances of getting an at-large bid to the College Football Playoff, the stakes of the Big 12 championship are even higher.

The winner of the game will get an automatic bid to the first-ever 12-team CFP, and that will seemingly be the Big 12's only Playoff bid since every other team in the conference already has two losses and doesn't have the same resumes as at-large teams out of the SEC and Big Ten.

Colorado fell in the latest Associated Press top 25 poll after suffering its third loss of the season on Saturday.

Head coach Deion Sanders' squad now sits at No. 23 in the Week 14 poll update, initially owning the No. 16 spot entering the weekend.

The Buffaloes' four-game win streak came to an end with a lopsided 37-21 defeat to a Kansas team that held a mere 4-6 record heading into the matchup.

While the Jayhawks were coming off consecutive victories against Big 12 contenders Iowa State and BYU, it was still a disappointing result for a Buffaloes team that hadn't allowed more than 31 points in a game all season.

Colorado fell in an early 17-0 hole near the start of the second quarter. The Buffaloes cut the deficit to 23-21 coming out of halftime, but they weren't able to get any closer before Kansas pulled away in the fourth quarter.

Despite the loss, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter continued their impressive individual seasons. Sanders finished 23-of-29 for 266 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, adding 26 yards on the ground.

Hunter caught eight passes for 125 yards and two scores. He continued to make his presence felt at cornerback, recording seven tackles and one pass defensed.

TRAVIS HUNTER SCORES THE TD AND HITS THE HEISMAN 💪@CUBuffsFootball pic.twitter.com/62fAeYYpid

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 23, 2024

Colorado's defense struggled mightily, allowing Kansas running back Devin Neal to rack up 287 all-purpose yards and four total touchdowns.

DEVIN NEAL WOULDN'T BE DENIED 😤@KU_Football strikes first vs Colorado pic.twitter.com/g1ndDbTcOk

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 23, 2024

The Buffaloes' chances at making an appearance in the Big 12 Championship Game took a major hit with the defeat, as they controlled their own destiny prior to the loss to the Jayhawks. Now, Colorado must close out the regular season with a win over Oklahoma State and will also need some help.

Coach Prime's team would earn a spot in the College Football Playoff with a victory in the conference title game, but that may be the only avenue towards an appearance after dropping to 8-3.

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders sees a learning opportunity in Saturday's loss.

The Buffaloes fell 37-21 to Kansas to end their four-game winning streak. Following the game, Sanders addressed his team's lackluster effort and acknowledged that they needed to be "humbled."

"The problem is you got intoxicated with success," Sanders said to his team. "You start believing what they are saying, you start listening more to what they say. You bought into all that foolishness that you were this, and you went out there and we got humbled."

The Buffaloes had a decent day in the air, with quarterback Shedeur Sanders going 23-of-29 for 266 yards and three touchdowns, but the run game only produced 42 total yards. The defense allowed Kansas running back Devin Neal to have a day, with him getting 287 yards from scrimmage and four total touchdowns.

The loss complicates the path for the Buffaloes to reach the Big-12 title game, as BYU and Arizona State have identical conference records to Colorado. If all three teams win next week, Colorado could be the team left out.

A conference championship is Colorado's only path to the Playoff, so the chances to reach that stage look bleaker. However, a Week 14 game against Oklahoma State could be a get-right game that allows them to at least improve from Saturday's performance.

Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders had some reasonable questions following the Buffs' 37-21 loss to the Kansas Jayhawks.

After a late hit to the knees by Jayhawks defensive end Dean Miller, Sanders questioned how the egregious hit could go unpenalized.

Kansas with a big hit on Shedeur Sanders 😬 pic.twitter.com/5jXVaGb1Rh

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 23, 2024

"I just don't understand how that is legal… couple plays like that," Sanders told reporters post-game.

Sanders was able to continue playing after the hit that sent him flying into the air, narrowly avoiding landing on his head.

The hit was clearly not the only thing frustrating Sanders throughout the game, as he was seen pushing a referee in the third quarter as missed calls appeared to boil over into frustration.

Despite the loss, Sanders played a solid game, completing 23-of-29 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns.

The Buffs fell to 8-3 on the season, opening the door for a potential four-way tie for first in the Big 12 conference, provided the Iowa State Cyclones are victorious tonight.

Colorado will close out their regular season on Friday against Oklahoma State at home.

Kansas running back Devin Neal rolled for 287 total yards and four touchdowns to lead the Jayhawks to a 37-21 win over No. 16 Colorado at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Colorado defense had no answers for anything Kansas did on offense. The Jayhawks finished with 331 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Jalon Daniels was efficient in the air, completing 14-of-21 passes for 189 yards (9.0 YPA) and a score.

The Shedeur Sanders-Travis Hunter connection shined for Colorado as usual, with the latter player catching eight passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns.

However, Kansas' defense held Colorado scoreless after Hunter's 26-yard touchdown catch with 11:59 remaining in the third quarter to cut the Jayhawks' lead to 23-21.

Kansas responded with an 80-yard drive ending with a Neal one-yard run for a 30-21 lead.

Colorado only had two more drives, and they finished with a three-and-out and a turnover-on-downs. In between, Kansas went on a clock-killing 14-play, 70-yard drive that elapsed 8:07 and ended with a Neal two-yard touchdown run.

After the Buffaloes turned the ball over on downs, Kansas ended the game with 10 plays over 53 yards and 6:17 in game time. Fittingly, Neal's four-yard run on 4th-and-1 from the Colorado 20-yard line with 1:51 left sealed the deal.

Colorado entered this game with wins in four straight and seven of eight. The Buffaloes also controlled their own destiny for a Big 12 Championship Game berth with a College Football Playoff berth in sight.

Now Colorado doesn't control that destiny.

Deion Sanders “we controlled our own destiny and we fumbled it.” pic.twitter.com/ADWKNxYbQ4

— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) November 24, 2024

It's an ugly loss for Colorado, whose defense sprung a huge rushing leak and whose offense didn't score over the final 27 minutes.

The critics come out whenever Sanders and the Buffaloes lose a game, and that was the case again Saturday.

Wait, Deion Sanders and his insanely overrated Colorado team who has never beaten anyone just got boat raced by a 4 win Kansas team? pic.twitter.com/JdwYqvwY03

— Brian Drake (@DrakeFantasy) November 24, 2024

I very much enjoy watching Colorado and Deion Sanders lose

— Ryan Woodall (@WoodyRYW) November 24, 2024

Kansas ending Deion Sanders’ playoff hopes and big 12 title hopes might be the best thing I’ve ever witnessed

— The Truth Jr. (@CamLippoldtGolf) November 23, 2024

https://twitter.com/x0afterhoursx0/status/1860476209685045677

Colorado and Deion Sanders are frauds!

— FYKE⁴⁴ (@fyke_44) November 24, 2024

Can we end the Deion Sanders coach of the year talk now..

— Tanner Coulter (@thefarmadvisor) November 24, 2024

The Deion Sanders hype train derailed today in Kansas. Sorry no playoffs in Boulder. Whine Deion whine.

— BJ Wynn (@BJWynn0718) November 24, 2024

Dawg. A Deion Sanders’ coached college football team, ranked #16, just lost to a now 5 win basketball school. Yikes.

— Nicholas Von Almen (@IAmNickVonAlmen) November 24, 2024

Colorado and Deion Sanders are frauds!

— FYKE⁴⁴ (@fyke_44) November 24, 2024

I changed my mind, James Franklin is the second biggest fraud in college football. Deion Sanders is first pic.twitter.com/U5sRFcqwZM

— Greg (@erjmanlasvegas) November 24, 2024

Can we end the Deion Sanders coach of the year talk now..

— Tanner Coulter (@thefarmadvisor) November 24, 2024

The Deion Sanders hype train derailed today in Kansas. Sorry no playoffs in Boulder. Whine Deion whine.

— BJ Wynn (@BJWynn0718) November 24, 2024

Colorado will close the regular season on Friday against Oklahoma State. Per Austin Swaim of FanDuel Research, here's the scenario for Colorado to clinch a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Colorado needs to win vs. Oklahoma State and ONE of...

- a Houston win (@ BYU)

OR

- both Arizona (vs. Arizona St.) and Kansas State (vs. Iowa St.) to win

...next week in order to reach the Big 12 title game.

— Austin Swaim (@ASwaim3) November 24, 2024

Kickoff on Friday is set for noon in Boulder's Folsom Field.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders said his team "fumbled" a chance to control their path to the College Football Playoff with Saturday's 37-21 loss to Kansas.

"We controlled our own destiny, and we fumbled it," Sanders told reporters after Saturday's loss.

Deion Sanders “we controlled our own destiny and we fumbled it.” pic.twitter.com/ADWKNxYbQ4

— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) November 24, 2024

Colorado entered Saturday's game at No. 16 in both the AP Top 25 poll and the College Football Playoff rankings.

The loss marked the Buffaloes' third of the season and threatened the team's chances of a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game.

The Big 12 gets one guaranteed spot in the first 12-team CFP. Three-loss Colorado, now out of the running for an at-large bid, could still earn that spot by emerging victorious from the conference title game.

But even winning out by defeating Oklahoma State next Friday will not secure the Buffaloes a spot in the conference championship game following the upset to Kansas.

Arizona State ensured they would remain in the Big 12 title game conversation with a 28-23 win over BYU earlier on Saturday.

That will leave Colorado scoreboard watching next weekend to track BYU, ASU and Iowa State.

Should Iowa State defeat Utah on Saturday, all four teams could potentially finish the season with matching conference records. Title game eligibility would come down to tie breakers, starting with head-to-head records and followed by win percentage against common conference opponents.

We've got a four-way tie atop the Big 12.

Here are the official tiebreaker procedures for the Big 12 title game from the conference itself. #CUBuffs #Big12 pic.twitter.com/F8ML9CoaaD

— Ryland Scholes (@rylandscholes) November 24, 2024

Every scenario that could get Colorado into the game hinges on the Buffaloes winning next Friday against Oklahoma State.

Colorado will be favored to win. Then again, the Buffaloes were also favored to win against Kansas. Having now defeated Iowa State, BYU and Colorado in consecutive weeks, the Jayhawks have singlehandedly done their best to mix up the Big 12 standings.

The Buffaloes struggled to contain the Jayhawks offense as then team allowed a season-high 520 total yards on Saturday night. Sanders will be looking for big nights from defenders like Shilo Sanders and Travis Hunter as Colorado looks to rebound during next weekend's must-win clash with Oklahoma State.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders pushed a referee in the third quarter on Saturday's matchup between No. 16 Colorado and Kansas.

"He's lucky he wasn't ejected from the game." @MikePereira takes a closer look at Shedeur Sanders' push on the ref ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/SSESj7QtId

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 23, 2024

After the Buffaloes' signal-caller was tackled, there was a skirmish that involved his teammates as well as multiple Jayhawks players. As officials attempted to diffuse the situation, Sanders appeared to push a referee in the back with his right forearm.

Colorado lost by the final score of 37-21.

The Buffaloes were flagged eight times for 65 yards during the game, while the Jayhawks were penalized five times for 35 yards. The contrast is in line with the season averages for each team, as Colorado recorded 7.5 penalties per game and Kansas averaged just 4.7 penalties per game entering the clash.

Sanders took a hit to his knees from Kansas linebacker Dean Miller earlier in the game, but a penalty was not called.

Kansas with a big hit on Shedeur Sanders 😬 pic.twitter.com/5jXVaGb1Rh

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 23, 2024

The signal-caller was sharp throughout the contest, completing 23 of his 29 pass attempts for 266 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. He also recorded a team-high 26 rush yards on four carries.

Two-way standout Travis Hunter was Sanders' top target, hauling in eight receptions for 125 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Colorado's defense struggled to stop Kansas on the ground, with the Jayhawks picking up 331 yards and averaging 5.8 yards per attempt as a team. They were led by senior running back Devin Neal, who accounted for 207 rush yards and four total touchdowns.

DEVIN NEAL AGAIN

Devin Neal scores his fourth TD of the day for @KU_Football 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ChZWndxIFP

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 23, 2024

The Buffaloes fell to 8-3 with the loss, putting their hopes of a potential Big 12 championship game appearance as well as a possible College Football Playoff berth in serious jeopardy.