Deion Sanders’ Colorado is playing in the postseason. In Sanders’ second season as head coach after taking over the worst power-conference team in college football, the Buffaloes (6-2, 4-1 Big 12) are eligible to bowl after beating Cincinnati 34-23 .
Colorado hasn’t played in a bowl game since going 4-2 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The program hasn’t won a bowl game since 2004, and this season will mark its third bowl appearance since 2007.
Sanders has frequently referenced 99-year-old Colorado superfan Peggy Coppom this year and his promise to get her to a bowl game this season. The Buffaloes are also looking at more than just a bowl. Colorado is one of only four Big 12 teams with one or fewer conference losses, keeping it in the mix for the Big 12 title and one of the automatic bids to the 12-team College Football Playoff, reserved for the top five ranked conference champions.
‘I know Peggy. She has expensive taste. She doesn’t just want a bowl. She wants a bowl of bowl. And I’m not talking about Manute (Bol),” Sanders told ESPN during the Buffaloes’ victory.
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Two-way star Travis Hunter re-entered the Heisman Trophy race with nine catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns on nine targets. He added four pass breakups and two tackles on defense, playing 130 total snaps. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders suffered a hip injury in the second half and received treatment on the sidelines, but stayed in the game and finished 25 of 30 for 323 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
“It’s big for us because it’s big for the fans,” Shedeur Sanders said. “We have not yet reached our peak. We’re not near anywhere.”
Under new first-time defensive coordinator Rob Livingston, the Buffaloes have built a respectable defense. They’ve also found a running game in recent weeks: Last week’s win over Arizona (128 yards) and Saturday’s victory (125 yards) were Colorado’s two most successful rushing performances of the season.
Sanders’ transfer-heavy approach to roster building has come under fire during his tenure, and the Buffaloes fell 4-8 short in the postseason a year ago after a 3-0 start left them among the biggest story in sports. But a year later, Sanders sees results.
Now the Buffaloes have a chance to play through December. The final four games of the season – at Texas Tech, Utah, at Kansas and the home finale against Oklahoma State – will decide how high they climb.
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(Photo: Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)