Deion Sanders' Colorado football team dropped the ball in the 2024 Alamo Bowl, getting blown out by BYU 36-14 and proving that as far as the Buffs have come, they still have a long way to go to become a competitive program on a national scale.
Sporting News's Bill Bender acknowledged this, deeming CU one of bowl season's biggest losers. Bender did acknowledge that Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter were not losers for playing in the Alamo Bowl, however.
"We applaud Colorado stars Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter for playing in the Valero Alamo Bowl, but there is no question the game itself was a disaster. BYU jumped out to a 20-0 halftime lead in a 36-14 victory. Sanders had 208 yards, two TDs and two interceptions. Hunter had four catches for 106 yards and a TD. Second-year coach Deion Sanders captivated the country with a nine-win season, but the Buffaloes were 0-2 against ranked teams in 2023 and are 1-6 in the last two seasons. There still is work to do in Boulder – even if this was a huge step for the program. Sanders and Hunter should both be top-five picks. Playing in the bowl game – even in a loss – will not hurt their draft status," Bender wrote.
Coach Prime had the chance to cement 2024 Colorado's legacy with a cherry on top and 10 wins, but his team didn't meet the moment. Key defensive transfers doomed Robert Livingston's unit, while rumors that Sanders didn't have enough NIL money to satisfy his players broke out like wildfire.
Does Shedeur and Hunter's exits lead to more spending money to spread around? That's the hope. Their insurance policies dipped into those NIL funds.
The Alamo Bowl certainly shifted the narrative back in the camp that Coach Prime isn't long for Colorado, though.
That's the biggest sign CU lost this bowl season of any.