BYU and Colorado both finished in a four-way tie for first place in the Big 12 standings, but neither team had the tiebreaker advantage to reach the Big 12 title game. That, among other factors, led Cougars quarterback Kedon Slovis to describe the Alamo Bowl matchup against the Buffaloes as "the people's" Big 12 championship game. And while BYU lost to Big 12-champ Arizona State, fans can still celebrate the Cougars as "the people's champion" after a dominant performance against Colorado on Saturday night.
BYU's 36-14 win strengthened the Cougars' postmortem argument for a College Football Playoff bid. It also marked a sobering conclusion to Colorado's season, especially given the hype surrounding the team leading into the weekend.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders played in the bowl game and stayed on the field well into the second half. Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter also suited up, playing both wide receiver and cornerback for nearly every snap while the game was still competitive. While the Colorado stars were praised for not opting out, neither Sanders nor Hunter will be satisfied with how their college careers ended.
Sanders finished with 208 yards on 16-of-23 passing, throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions. Hunter added 106 receiving yards and a touchdown on four catches.
Despite the loss, there were still highlights for Colorado. Hunter delivered a memorable 58-yard run after the catch in the first half and added a touchdown reception in the third quarter.
SHEDEUR TO TRAVIS HUNTER FOR AN UNREAL TOUCHDOWN TO PUT COLORADO ON THE BOARD 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xXC8DW5JxZ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 29, 2024
BYU looked a lot like the Cougars team that roared to a 9-0 start. They applied relentless pressure on defense, force mistakes and capitalized on good field position with timely plays on offense. BYU rendered the high-octane Buffs offense ineffective and built a 20-0 halftime lead. If it weren't for some self-inflicted wounds, the Cougars might have been able to pull away by a larger margin.
"The guys believe in each other, we've been working on this," BYU coach Kilani Sitake told ESPN in the moments after the game went final.
He credited the coaching staff and leadership on BYU's roster for their preparation heading into the game, which clearly contributed to the Cougars' strong start.
More things to know about BYU's win against Colorado and what it means moving forward:
BYU's argument as a contender is bolstered
BYU not only finished in a tie for first in the Big 12, they also had a win against a CFP team (SMU) on their resume. Ultimately, back-to-back losses in November -- including one to eventual Big 12 champion and CFP 4-seed Arizona State -- undid the Cougars' Big 12 title and CFP hopes. All the way down at No. 17 in the selection final CFP selection committee's final rankings, BYU was never really considered for an at-large spot.
Still, a dominant performance against a top-25 team and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner is bound to leave Cougars fans wistful about what might have been -- especially given the small margins (nine combined points) of their only two losses on the year.
The post-Shedeur and Travis era at Colorado
While Shedeur Sanders and Hunter have played their last games for Colorado, Deion Sanders and his staff have been working to secure the future of the Buffs offense over the last couple of weeks. That includes signing blue chip quarterback Julian Lewis for the 2025 class and adding a commitment from ex-Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter in the transfer portal.
Salter shined leading Liberty a Conference USA title in 2023 but he, and the Flames, took a step back in 2024. His addition gives an added potential for the quarterback run game. That should be especially helpful given the way Colorado's offensive line issues re-emerged in the loss to BYU.
But Shedeur and Hunter are not the only stars that will be moving on from Colorado. Many of the Year 1 transfer portal additions have run out of eligibility. The coaching staff may have secured the future of the quarterback position, but there is lots of work at other positions with expected player movement in the coming months.
