Colorado head coach Deion Sanders walks to the locker room with the Colorado football team at halftime during the football game at Folsom Field on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Linus Loughry/CU Independent)oot
The last time the University of Colorado Buffaloes left the field, their 6-2 record had them on the outside looking in at the leaders of the Big 12. However, after a chaotic weekend in the conference, the Buffaloes now have legitimate hopes for conference glory. The loss to Kansas State University in Week 7 initially seemed like a potential momentum killer, but the Buffaloes demonstrated resilience with an away game victory against Arizona and a successful defense of home territory against the University of Cincinnati.
After these two strong performances, they enjoyed a second bye week, and the Buffaloes could not have asked for a better weekend away from the field. Undefeated Iowa State University fell to Texas Tech University in a surprising home loss, while Kansas State suffered its second loss of the season to Houston. This leaves Iowa State at 4-1 in conference play and Kansas State at 4-2.
The only undefeated team left in the conference is Brigham Young University, which has far surpassed preseason expectations after being picked to finish 13th in Big 12 preseason polls. Colorado will travel to Lubbock, Texas, this weekend to face the Red Raiders of Texas Tech. Following Tech’s upset victory over Iowa State, the matchup has taken on greater significance.
Coming off their first bye week, Colorado was 4-1 following a strong performance against the University of Central Florida. Talks of postseason hopes and Heisman potential had begun to swirl around the Buffaloes and Travis Hunter. After their second bye week, postseason hopes are more alive than ever, as a bowl game is already secured at 6-2, and the current state of the Big 12 has opened the door for CU fans to dream even bigger. The Heisman Trophy also has a chance of ending up in Boulder this December.
Travis Hunter missed a majority of the Kansas State game due to a shoulder injury and sat out the second half of the Buffaloes’ dominant performance against Arizona. Many might have thought his missed time would hurt his chances at the award, but he exploded back onto the field with 153 yards and two touchdowns against Cincinnati. The star wide receiver and defensive back played 130 snaps, missing only three plays in the entire game.
Following the second bye week, Hunter currently shares the best odds for the Heisman Trophy with University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward at +200. Shedeur Sanders also ranks in the top ten with +5000 odds. The current race features Hunter, Ward, University of Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, and Boise State University running back Ashton Jeanty as the only players with realistic chances of winning.
Colorado has launched the slogan “Heismen” in recognition of the outstanding play from both Hunter and Sanders. With four crucial games remaining in the season, there is ample opportunity for Sanders to join Hunter near the top of the Heisman race.
Colorado rushed for 153 yards against Arizona and 123 yards against Cincinnati, demonstrating a much-improved ability to create offense on the ground. Running back Isaiah Augustave has emerged as the leader of the Buffaloes’ rushing attack, achieving a career-high 93 yards against Cincinnati along with a touchdown. Augustave has scored in three straight games, providing valuable contributions in the end zone. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur commented on the recent performance of Colorado’s run game.
“I like to run the ball. I love to pass the ball, don’t get me wrong, but when you’re running the ball and gaining yards, that helps the play caller. When you’re running the ball and getting stopped, then you get knocked off track. In our running game journey, we’re getting better and better, and that’s credit to the players,” Shurmur said.
A strong part of Colorado’s game has also been its offensive line and secondary unit. The offensive line allowed only one sack against both Arizona and Cincinnati, showing improvement from early-season performances that saw Sanders sacked eight times against Baylor University and six times against the University of Nebraska. Freshman Jordan Seaton has made significant contributions at offensive tackle in his debut season for the Buffaloes. Shurmur praised Seaton’s performance thus far.
“Jordan can move around; he does a good job locating the guy he’s got to block. The scheme fit last week for who we were playing will be different this week. But his athleticism is one of his strongest traits,” Shurmur said.
Colorado’s secondary has also excelled on defense, holding Arizona to just 138 passing yards and recording an interception, while Cincinnati was limited to 180 passing yards—132 yards below Arizona’s average of 270. Cincinnati found itself 70 yards below its average of 250 yards, proving that the Buffaloes can contain strong passing offenses.
“We’ve played some really good skill players, thinking back to K-State and the receiver at Arizona, and it evolves each week. It just goes back to who you are and who your shooters are,” Defensive coordinator Robert Livingston said. “Anytime you can put Travis on somebody, you feel pretty good about that matchup. Preston and DJ have done a great job, and we just talked about Colton. It changes each week, and when you have bullets in the chamber, you have guys that can do different things. That helps you as a play caller.”
Colorado continues to improve in areas that started strong while also elevating their weaker links. They will need all the strength they can muster to ensure their hopes for postseason glory are met, but the Buffaloes’ trajectory is heading in the right direction. Preseason Big 12 favorites Utah, Oklahoma State University, Arizona, and Kansas State have faltered at times, while surprises such as BYU, Iowa State, and Colorado have emerged as the current front-runners of the conference.
In four weeks, the stage for the Big 12 championship game will be set, but for now, Colorado prepares for a must-win matchup in Lubbock.
Contact CU Independent basketball writer Wilson Georges at wilson.georges@colorado.edu
