Deion Sanders and No. 23 Colorado is set to take on No. 17 BYU in the Alamo Bowl, marking one of college football's top bowl games outside of the College Football Playoff.
While Colorado's ascent got plenty of attention, BYU's turnaround during its second season in the Big 12 was one for the history books. The Cougars jumped from 5-7 to 10-2 under coach Kalani Sitake, doubling their win total for the first time since 2001. BYU beat CFP-bound SMU on the road and crushed Kansas State 38-9, but lost to Kansas and Arizona State by a combined nine points to ruin their CFP chances.
Colorado and BYU have only played 12 times in history with only two matchups coming since 1947. The Buffs dominated the early meetings and hold an 8-3-1 record all time. However, the Cougars won both matchups in the 1980s, including a 20-17 win in the Freedom Bowl during a battle between Colorado running back Eric Bieniemy and BYU quarterback Ty Detmer.
How to watch Alamo Bowl live
Date: Saturday, Dec. 28 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Alamodome -- San Antonio, Texas
TV: ABC | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Colorado vs. BYU: Need to know
Heisman Hunter: Colorado do-everything superstar Travis Hunter is set to play his final game for the Buffs after a truly legendary season. Hunter won the Heisman Trophy after clearing 90 catches, 1,100 yards, 14 touchdowns, four interceptions and 15 total passes defended. He was the first defender to win the award since Charles Woodson in 1997.
Scheduling quirk: In a rare situation, two teams from the same conference are set to face off in a bowl game. Naturally, the issue goes back to conference realignment. Because of some contract logistics, legacy Pac-12 schools are set to play in bowls with Pac-12 ties, even though they're members of new conferences. When the next round of bowl negotiations come up, they will have ties to their new conferences. Until then, we get the Alamo Bowl.
Best on best: BYU was solid in every aspect of the game, but its defense was perhaps the most unheralded unit on the team under second-year defensive coordinator Jay Hill. The Cougars led the Big 12 by allowing only 317 yards per game and 4.9 yards per play. They were especially good against the pass, allowing only 5.9 yards per attempt, 11 touchdowns and 20 interceptions through the air. On the other side, Colorado led the Big 12 with 327 yards per game and trailed only Arizona State with 8.6 yards per attempt.
Alamo Bowl prediction, picks
BYU matches up well with Colorado, especially with the Cougars' highly-ranked passing defense. However, Buffs stars Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are playing in their final collegiate games and it's hard to see them falling in such a big moment. This will be one of the best games of the postseason, but Colorado will escape with a 10th win for the first time since 2016. Pick: Colorado -4
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