Deion Sanders is looking to accomplish something that Colorado hasn’t done in two decades.
Win a bowl game.
The Buffaloes haven’t won a bowl game since they beat UTEP 33-28, in the 2004 EV1.net Houston Bowl.
This was 20 years ago.
Colorado has only made four bowl games since then, losing all of them.
In 2005, they lost to Clemson 19-10 in the Champ Sports Bowl.
In 2007, they lost to Alabama, in Nick Saban’s first year as head coach of the Crimson Tide, 30-24 in the Independence Bowl.
In 2016, Oklahoma State throttled them, 38-8 in the Alamo Bowl.
Lastly, in the COVID-shortened season of 2020, they lost to Texas 55-23 once more in the Alamo Bowl
Sanders is looking to buck the losing trend.
He guided the Buffaloes to a 9-3 record, which is the program’s first winning season since 2016.
Led by his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and Heisman-favorite Travis Hunter, the Buffaloes rebounded from a disappointing 4-8 record last year, to nearly making the 12-team playoff this year.
They fell one game short of the Big 12 championship game.
The younger Sanders and Hunter are both projected to be top ten picks in this spring’s NFL draft.
Sanders took home Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, while Hunter took home Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
However, before they depart Boulder, Colorado, they will be looking to take home one last win and reach double digit victories for the first time since 2016.
As most projected high draft picks will sit out bowl games with no national championship implications, Coach Prime has already stated that his son, nor Hunter, will be doing that.
“Our kids are going to play in our bowl game because that’s what we signed up to do,” Sanders said.
Shedeur Sanders has more touchdowns (5) than Oklahoma State has first downs (4)
pic.twitter.com/jPIHuRPkAK
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) November 29, 2024
“We’re going to finish. We’re not going to tap out because that throws off the structure of next season.”
The potential first quarterback that will be taken in the draft, echoed his father’s sentiment.
“It’s a team thing,” Sanders said. “If me and T and a couple other players aren’t out there, the Buffs aren’t going to look the same.
“We understand the pieces we are to the team, the leaders we are overall, and the amount of players that would sit out if we weren’t out there doing it.”
Colorado won’t know which bowl game, or who their opponent will be, until after December 8.
