Deion Sanders got an "A" grade for guiding Colorado football to a 9-3 record and an Alamo Bowl appearance. As CBS Sports' Shehan Jeyarajah relayed, being eligible for the Big 12 Championship Game heading into Week 14 was on the radar of very few before the season.
"The Buffaloes came into the season with an over/under set at 5.5 wins. Not only did Colorado make its first non-pandemic bowl since 2016, the program was playing for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game in the final week of the season. The Buffs ultimately fell short due to a tiebreaker, but making it to the final stage was an incredible accomplishment for coach Deion Sanders. Star athlete Travis Hunter also had the kind of perfect storm season he needed to give himself a chance to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday. And by the way, Colorado signing quarterback recruit Julian Lewis gives the program a second life after Shedeur Sanders leaves. This level of success was almost unthinkable heading into the year," Jeyarajah wrote.
The Buffs looked shaky against North Dakota State in Week 1 and flat-out bad the next week against Nebraska in Lincoln, but CU righted the ship in a major way during Big 12 play. Making miracles happen against Baylor led to a statement against UCF, followed by a close loss to Kansas State with Travis Hunter largely sidelined. The Buffs then went on a dominant streak that was one Kansas loss away from a potential conference championship and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
Facing BYU still gives Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, Shilo Sanders, Jimmy Horn Jr., and the rest of the NFL-bound Buffs one last chance to put an exclamation point on this season.
Regardless of the result, this was a dream season in Boulder.