Colorado Buffaloes Football

Colorado continues to inch its way toward a spot in the College Football Playoff after a 49-24 victory over Utah on Saturday.

Head coach Deion Sanders' team, which entered the week ranked No. 17 by the playoff selection committee, is now 8-2 overall with two games remaining in the regular season.

Colorado has won eight games for just the second time in 20 years.

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) November 16, 2024

This wasn't a totally crisp game for the Buffaloes with three turnovers on offense that allowed Utah to hang around for awhile, but their star talent was able to shine through in the victory.

Travis Hunter continued to strengthen his Heisman case with 55 yards as a receiver, a five-yard touchdown run and an interception on defense. He is closing in on 1,000 receiving yards for the season, sitting at 911.

The two-way sensation made two of the best catches of the day on leaping grabs in traffic, with one of them coming on a fourth-and-8 late in the first half that set up Shedeur Sanders' touchdown pass to Will Sheppard to extend the lead to 21-6.

Travis Hunter was surrounded by FOUR defenders before jumping up and making this catch 🔥🤯 pic.twitter.com/z06MlXewd2

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 16, 2024

TRAVIS HUNTER IS UNREAL 🤯

He makes an absurd catch for @CUBuffsFootball on 4th & 8 🔥 pic.twitter.com/OuIIY8e4vD

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 16, 2024

Hunter's touchdown was listed in the box score as a five-yard run, but it was about as thrilling as any short-yardage play as you will see because it looked like the Utes defense blew it up right away.

TRAVIS HUNTER IS JUST A CHEAT CODE 😱@CUBuffsFootball pic.twitter.com/SUCHVonSOq

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 16, 2024

The Heisman hype has been following Hunter around all season, and it's not slowing down after what he did on Saturday. He even encouraged it by hitting the Heisman pose after his first-quarter interception.

Travis Hunter after his third interception on the season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NhvAnbGLow

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 16, 2024

If Travis Hunter doesn’t win the Heisman, then College Football needs to make a new award that accounts for what he’s doing this season.

— NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! 🌰🏆🥇 (@WhoIsWynton) November 16, 2024

I like the Travis Hunter catches where he’s basically intercepting Shedeur

— Nate Kreckman (@NateKreckman) November 16, 2024

"Give him the Heisman now!" -- Gus Johnson, on Travis Hunter

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) November 16, 2024

Travis Hunter is ridiculous.

— Eric Crocker 🥷🏾 (@Crocky209) November 16, 2024

Are we really still having Heisman conversations about anyone other Travis Hunter?

— Romi Bean (@Romi_Bean) November 16, 2024

Travis Hunter has a rushing TD, a receiving TD, an interception and a forced fumble this season. Let him throw a passing, Prime.

— RJ Young (@RJ_Young) November 16, 2024

I love Ashton Jeanty. He's iconic.

You can't give the Heisman to anyone but Travis Hunter.

We've never seen something like this.

— Tyler Brooke (@TylerDBrooke) November 16, 2024

Hunter did have a moment when he got burned on defense by Utah wide receiver Dorian Singer on a 40-yard touchdown in the third quarter, but the overall contribution based on his volume of snaps played was still extremely high in the game.

Sanders, after throwing an interception on the first play of the game, rebounded nicely to finish 30-of-41 for 340 yards and three touchdowns. This was his sixth game of the season with at least 300 yards passing and two scores.

Freshman wide receiver Drelon Miller entered the day with 110 receiving yards on 19 catches. He had six catches for 108 yards and a touchdown against Utah's defense.

Even with some sloppy mistakes early in the game, this was about as complete as any performance the Buffaloes have had all year. Utah ran for 34 yards before factoring in the 19 that Isaac Wilson lost on sacks.

The schedule lines up nicely for Colorado to play for the Big 12 championship on Dec. 7. Its final two games of the regular season are against Kansas and Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks entered Saturday with a 3-6 overall record, while the Cowboys are winless in conference play (0-7).

Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders has yet to draw NFL head coaching interest "as of now" amid speculation that he could land with the Dallas Cowboys, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini:

"Coach Prime isn't landing at The Star. The 57-year-old University of Colorado coach and Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback has said publicly he wants to stay in college football, despite some theories that Jerry Jones is targeting his former star. Sanders holds an 11-10 record over two seasons with the Buffaloes, and as of now I have not spoken to a team decision-maker interested in bringing Sanders in as an NFL head coach. (A real shame; his sunglasses would be perfect for that glaring sun in Dallas.)"

Sanders is in his second year as Colorado's head coach. The Buffaloes went 1-11 in the year prior to his arrival before improving to 4-8 last year. Now Colorado entered Saturday with a 7-2 record (5-1 Big 12) and in control of its own destiny for a spot in the conference championship game.

Russini previously reported on the Scoop City podcast (17:20 mark) that speculation regarding Sanders going to the NFL is "all just chit-chat" because of his desire to hang around the college ranks.

Sanders was once a star two-way Cowboys player, winning a Super Bowl with the team in 1995. Current Fox Sports analyst Michael Irvin, his ex-teammate, recently gauged Sanders' interest in leaving for the Cowboys presuming that the head coaching position opens up this offseason.

.@michaelirvin88 asked @DeionSanders about coaching the Cowboys... Watch until the end to see Prime's response 😂 pic.twitter.com/wonYbtDR4H

— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) November 13, 2024

Sanders repeatedly said, "I love it where I am," before showing off a picturesque view of Folsom Field and the Rocky Mountains in the background. He's also previously said that he plans to coach at Colorado for at least 10 seasons.

Whether that happens is up for debate, but Sanders is clearly thriving at Colorado. It's possible the Cowboys job opens up with the team 3-6 and Mike McCarthy in the final season of a five-year contract, but signs don't point to Sanders jetting for Dallas.

In the meantime, Sanders is trying to lead the Buffaloes to the Big 12 Championship Game. The team controls its own destiny to do so, and a win there would mean an automatic top-four spot in the College Football Playoff.

As the NFL season continues and coaches find themselves on the hot seat, one collegiate coach has found himself in rumors about leaving his program for the professional ranks.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has made no indication that he plans to leave for the NFL, though. Per NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Sanders "has had no official conversations with anyone" about taking a job in the NFL and his priority is "winning at Colorado this season."

It was inevitable that Sanders would be at the center of NFL coaching rumors after the job he has done at Colorado combined with the national attention he's gotten over the last few years.

Sanders inherited a Buffaloes program that had won just nine games in the three years before his arrival. Colorado struggled in his first season at the helm, going 4-8, but the 2024 season has been successful thus far.

Colorado is 7-2 heading into Saturday's matchup with Utah, controlling its own destiny in both the Big 12 and the College Football Playoff race. The Buffs are 5-1 in conference play, sitting just behind BYU in the Big 12 standings.

They'll get three manageable games against Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State to close out the season, meaning a trip to the Big 12 championship is well within their sights. A win in the Big 12 championship would get them an automatic bid to the CFP, something that seemed far-fetched two seasons ago.

Heading into Week 11 of the NFL season, two coaches have been fired: Robert Saleh of the New York Jets and Dennis Allen of the New Orleans Saints. A handful of coaches are on the hot seat, including Mike McCarthy of the 3-6 Dallas Cowboys.

Should a job in Dallas present itself to Sanders, it would be tough not to consider it given he spent five seasons with the organization.

For now, he will keep his focus on winning games in Boulder.

With Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders set to be one of the top prospects in the 2025 NFL draft, many are wondering if his father and head coach Deion Sanders would follow him in his jump to the pros.

During Thursday's episode of Get Up, ESPN's Adam Schefter said that Coach Prime landing with the same NFL team as his son is far from guaranteed, but it's also not out of the realm of possibility.

"We're not saying it's happening. We're saying that this is one of those options that's going to heat up, that's going to be in play this offseason," Schefter said. "Is there a team out there that's in position to get Shedeur Sanders that also wants to go and hire Deion Sanders to marry them up together moving forward? Maybe it'll happen, maybe it won't. It's damn fun to talk about and think about."

Could Shedeur Sanders and Deion Sanders team up again next year.

pic.twitter.com/lUU9BJHRVg

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 14, 2024

B/R NFL scout Dame Parson ranks Shedeur Sanders as the No. 2 quarterback in the 2025 draft class. The youngster has thrown for 2,882 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 72.9 percent of his passes this season.

While Deion Sanders has maintained that he has no interest in leaving Colorado, it wouldn't be a surprise if he accepted the opportunity to coach in the NFL. He already made it clear that he will intervene behind the scenes to ensure that Shedeur doesn't land with the "wrong" franchise.

The 22-year-old has a bright future in the NFL, and it remains to be seen if his Hall of Fame dad will be a part of it.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders again downplayed rumors that he could leave the Buffaloes for the NFL after the 2024-25 season.

"I love it where I am," Sanders told Michael Irvin on Wednesday's episode of FS1's Speak.

.@michaelirvin88 asked @DeionSanders about coaching the Cowboys... Watch until the end to see Prime's response 😂 pic.twitter.com/wonYbtDR4H

— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) November 13, 2024

Sanders is in his second season as head coach of Colorado, which sits second in the Big 12 with a 7-2 record.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy's team meanwhile fell to 3-6 with a blowout Week 10 loss, sparking rumors about Sanders being a potential fit with Jerry Jones in Dallas should there be a head coaching vacancy.

When pressed about potential interest in joining the Cowboys, Sanders said: "You think I'm going to put up with all that stuff going on in the NFL, NBA? Come on, man. Y'all know, we ain't built like that. We can't put up with that kind of stuff."

Sanders continued: "It would be hard for me to understand the psyche of some of these young men. You making this much money and you don't want to play?... it would be hard for me to fathom."

His response echoed comments made on Robert Griffin III's podcast in January, during which his thought process might clash with that of NFL players because he was "old school."

Jones bought the Cowboys in 1989, and Sanders posted four Pro Bowl seasons for the franchise between 1996 and 1999.

When asked by ESPN's Stephen A. Smith in September if he would ever consider hiring Sanders, Jones avoided a direct answer but said that he had "always admired" Sanders, "both on and off the field."

Sanders has repeatedly said that he does not plan to leave Colorado. In July he said it was the "dumbest thing ever" to imply he would consider leaving the Buffaloes after his sons, quarterback Shedeur Sanders and safety Shilo Sanders, depart from the program.

But with Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott sidelined for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his torn hamstring, and NFL Next Gen Stats giving the Cowboys a two percent probability of making the playoffs, it seems likely McCarthy will end his fifth season in Dallas in the hot seat— which means the rumors connecting Sanders and the Cowboys aren't likely to go away any time soon.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is expected to be one of the top picks in the 2025 NFL draft, but his dad and head coach Deion Sanders revealed he will ensure that his son lands in the right situation.

During an appearance on Speak, Coach Prime was asked if he would step in and stop Shedeur from being drafted by the "wrong" team, and he answered affirmatively.

"Yeah, but I'm not going to do it publicly, I'll do it privately," Sanders said.

.@DeionSanders says he will step in if the wrong team drafts Shedeur. 👀 pic.twitter.com/WK67vSyouY

— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) November 12, 2024

Sanders added that Shedeur isn't the only player he will be working for behind the scenes, saying, "And with Travis too," referring to Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter.

The most famous occurrence of a father influencing which team drafts his son was when Archie Manning allegedly declared Eli Manning wouldn't play for the San Diego Chargers, who owned the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NFL draft. He was instead sent to the New York Giants, with whom he went on to win two Super Bowl titles. Archie has since denied that he had any involvement with Eli being dealt to the Giants.

Sanders was asked about the ideal situation for Shedeur in the NFL, and he explained that having a proper quarterback development system in place is the most important factor for his son's start to his professional career.

"Somebody that can handle the quarterback that he is. Somebody that can handle understanding what he's capable of," Sanders said. "Someone who has had success in the past handling quarterbacks or someone in an organization that understands what they're doing, not just throwing you out there amongst the wolves..."

Through nine games this season, Shedeur has thrown for 2,882 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 72.9 percent of his passes. In the right situation, he can have a fruitful career in the NFL, and his Hall of Fame father is ready to make sure that happens.

"This kid loves this game and he has an insatiable appetite to win, and I want somebody to be able to propel him to that next level as well," Sanders said.

Tubi unveiled a trailer for its new talk show, We Got Time Today, featuring Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders and television host Rocsi Diaz.

It is unclear if the giant rabbit will also be a part of the show:

The show will debut on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. ET, and the pair will "discuss the latest in news, culture, entertainment, and sports as well as conduct interviews with celebrity guests."

Sanders is having an excellent year on the football side of things. His Buffs are now 7-2 on the season and, should they win out, would have a place in the Big 12 Championship Game, likely against BYU.

Win that contest and they would earn an automatic berth to the College Football Playoff. Not too shabby for just his second season at Colorado and first back in the Big 12.

Granted, the team still needs to beat Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State before those dreams could become a reality. But all three schools have losing records at the moment.

Sanders went just 4-8 in his first season at Colorado after arriving with enormous hype, media attention and celebrity cameos on the sidelines. But year two has been an entirely different story. Perhaps he'll discuss some of that turnaround on his new show.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders took exception when a ball boy from Texas Tech attempted to retrieve the ball from Buffs safety Shilo Sanders late in Saturday's 41-27 victory.

Shilo sealed the win when he recovered a fumble and returned it six yards for a touchdown.

SHILO SANDERS SCOOP N SCORE 🔥

And he hits his dad's celebration after 🙌@CUBuffsFootball | @DeionSanders pic.twitter.com/cLvoIAcsTj

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 10, 2024

A Red Raiders equipment staffer knocked the ball out of Shilo's hand, which drew a quick reaction from Shedeur and Deion Sanders Jr.

Texas Tech's ball boy was ready to take on the entire Sanders family by himself pic.twitter.com/hzbq5wRxLF

— College Sports Only 🏈 🏀 ⚾️ (@CollegeSportsO) November 10, 2024

Texas Tech and Colorado are far from rivals, but you wouldn't have guessed it from the atmosphere at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.

The Red Raiders fans partook in their tradition of throwing tortillas onto the field, even as the game was ongoing.

Travis Hunter just picked up a Tortilla on the field and put it in his pants 😅

Only in Lubbock 🤣 pic.twitter.com/fBTPLr53HK

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 9, 2024

At one point in the fourth quarter, Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire also had to get on the public address system and tell students to stop tossing objects onto the playing surface.

"I got a vape brought over to me. I got a water bottle brought over to me. I got a beer bottle brought over to me," he said after the game. "It's great with tortillas and everything like that, but we got really lucky that we didn't get a 15-yard penalty. I appreciate the passion of our fans and our students, and man, I love them to death. I think they're absolutely incredible, but when you get to that point, that's taking it too far. Now you're going to affect the game."

For his part, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders generally echoed the sentiment and he didn't have a problem with the tortillas getting thrown. He grew worried when heavier projectiles started to get launched.

"They throwin' everything but my mama at me."

- @DeionSanders on if he'd ever experienced anything like the tortilla situation in Lubbock 😅 pic.twitter.com/wn0BUgbwmx

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 10, 2024

Colorado looked to be in some danger when it fell behind 13-0 in the first quarter. Then the Buffs scored 17 unanswered points and eventually took an 11-point lead into halftime.

Texas Tech made it a one-score game with 2:12 on the clock before the Colorado defense forced the pivotal fumble.

Colorado continued its climb up the rankings this week.

The Buffaloes, fresh off a 41-27 victory over Texas Tech, were ranked No. 18 in the latest Associated Press Top-25 poll on Sunday, jumping up three spots from last week. Colorado didn't crack the poll until Week 10, debuting at No. 23, and has now improved that ranking in each of the past two weeks.

Colorado is now 7-2 (5-1 in the Big 12) on the season and is second in the Big 12 behind only the undefeated BYU Cougars (9-0, 6-0). Should the Buffs win out—matchups against Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State remain—they would secure a spot in the conference title game. And a win in that game would guarantee them a berth in the College Football Playoff.

Heady times in Boulder, indeed.

"We don't change with the stakes," head coach Deion Sanders told reporters regarding the team's standing in the Big 12. "You guys (in the news media) change with the stakes. We don't change with the stakes. What we're doing right now, we planned on it."

"We're not looking down the street and down the road to the championship," he added.

The Buffs got off to a slow start on Saturday, trailing 13-0 after one quarter as the tortillas rained down. But Colorado turned it on from there, led by star quarterback Shedeur Sanders (30-of-43 for 291 yards and three touchdowns; 16 rushing yards and a score) and two-way phenom Travis Hunter (nine catches for 99 yards and a touchdown).

Travis Hunter just picked up a tortilla on the field and put it in his pants 😭 🤣

Can’t make this up 💀

(via @CFBONFOX)
pic.twitter.com/slfImjZG58

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 9, 2024

The win has the Buffaloes in position to make serious noise in the school's first year back in the Big 12, and potentially in the first year of the expanded CFP. Not too shabby for Sanders' second year on the job.

After scoring a late touchdown to secure a 41-27 win over Texas Tech for No. 20 Colorado on Saturday, Buffaloes safety Shilo Sanders paid homage to his father in the end zone.

With the Red Raiders attempting to score a game-tying touchdown with roughly one minute remaining in the fourth quarter, quarterback Behren Morton had the ball stripped by Colorado defensive lineman Arden Walker.

The ball was picked up by Sanders and returned into the end zone before the 24-year-old celebrated with a shuffle reminiscent of Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders during his playing days.

SHILO SANDERS SCOOP N SCORE 🔥

And he hits his dad's celebration after 🙌@CUBuffsFootball | @DeionSanders pic.twitter.com/cLvoIAcsTj

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 10, 2024

Shilo Sanders had to hit @DeionSanders' celebration after his TD 🙌@CUBuffsFootball pic.twitter.com/jN0ngL4hwl

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 10, 2024

The safety finished with six tackles in addition to his fumble recovery.

He hasn't been the only member of the family to pay tribute to the touchdown dance, as Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders broke out the same celebration after scoring a rushing touchdown against Nebraska during the 2023 season.

Shilo Sanders became the latest member of the Sanders family to hit the Deion Shuffle after a TD today 🔥@CUBuffsFootball | @DeionSanders pic.twitter.com/pLrxyOMFpp

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 10, 2024

Shedeur wrapped up another impressive performance against Texas Tech, finishing 30-of-43 for 291 yards through the air while recording four total touchdowns without a turnover.

Shedeur Sanders vs. Texas Tech 🔥

30/43
291 YDS
3 TD
1 Rush TD

Buffs are 7-2 for the first time since 2016 😤 pic.twitter.com/65bkkmzCFn

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 10, 2024

The Buffaloes improved to 7-2, winning their third consecutive game.

With No. 17 Iowa State losing to Kansas by the final score of 45-36 on Saturday, Coach Prime's team now controls its own destiny to secure a spot in the Big 12 title game. Colorado will need to continue stacking victories in order to do so, starting with a Nov. 16 matchup against Utah.