College football could've had the likely first two quarterbacks in the upcoming NFL draft, Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward, do battle in the Holiday Bowl. As it turns out, though, Colorado was assigned to the Alamo Bowl against BYU and Miami will face Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
On SI's Emanuel Walker noted how much hype was behind that matchup; hype that will have to go by the wayside given how things shook out.
"Unfortunately, the pairing wasn't meant to be. The Alamo Bowl had the first pick of teams from the legacy Pac-12 and Big 12, removing the Buffs from consideration for the Holiday or Pop Tart Bowl," Walker wrote.
"Still, the possibility of a Sanders vs. Ward rematch stirs excitement. Their rivalry has grown beyond the field, with competitive tension carrying over into their off-season training sessions. Over the 4th of July holiday in Miami, Ward was vocal in pushing Sanders to perform better and 'not BS' during quarterback drills, sparking debates about who had the superior 2023 season. Ward, who played a full season, statistically outperformed Sanders, who missed several games due to injuries. Their head-to-head encounter earlier in the year, a lopsided Utah victory, further tilted the scales in Ward's favor. But fans were eager to see Sanders given another opportunity to prove himself against his rival."
As too often is the case in college football, the fans didn't get what they wanted at the expense of the will of giant companies. It's not the first time it happened, and it definitely won't be the last.
Fans will have to wait for Shedeur and Ward to do battle in the NFL. The only college matchup the two had ended in Shedeur leaving early because of a back injury. Wazzu beat CU 56-14 in that penultimate game of the 2023 season.