By DaVince “Dino” Wright
#16 Colorado is Becoming a Big 12 Powerhouse
The Buffaloes are coming! Over the past 2 seasons the Buffaloes the went from 1-12 in 2022 BD (before Deion) to 4-8 (1-8 Pac-12) to 8-2 (6-1 Big 12). That’s a huge jump from Colorado being the laughingstock of the Pac 12 to being one of the top teams in their first year of the Big 12 conference. With his mixture of motivation, confidence and coaching style Coach Deion Sanders has transformed this team to a national powerhouse. His coaching staff is a list of who’s who of NFL veterans with Terrell Owens and Warren Sapp just to name two former Hall of Famers on his staff. The team is led by his son Shedeur Sanders at quarterback, son Shilo Sanders at free safety and Heisman favorite Travis Hunter at cornerback and wide receiver. The talent that this team has in waiting and to be signed next season is littered with top 10 players from all over the country. Keep an eye on freshman Isiah Hardge, he is the next two-way player like Travis Hunter on the roster right now. You read it here first!
A Brief Glance at the Big 12
The Big 12 has made a huge splash with the realigned teams from the Pac 12 and other conferences. As a fan of the Big 12 I was a bit worried when Texas and Oklahoma made the jump to the SEC. It just didn’t make any sense to me. #14 BYU is in the top spot in the Big 12 at 6-1, followed by #16 Colorado at 6-1 with Arizona State at 5-2. The Kansas Jayhawks are sitting in the 11th spot. Kansas would love nothing more than to spoil the Buffaloes chance to play for a conference championship in their first year in the Big 12. This game will be one of the better games of this weekend.
Game Info
#16 Colorado Buffaloes vs Kansas Jayhawks
Saturday – November 25 – 2:30 p.m.
TV: FOX
GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium – Kansas City, MO
#16 Colorado Buffaloes (8-2, 6-1 Big 12)
The Buffaloes have two players that’s in the running for the Heisman trophy this season. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders has 3, 222 passing yards with 31 total touchdowns (4 rushing/27 passing) and 7 interceptions. He will be a top 10 draft pick this upcoming draft. CB/WR Travis Hunter has 74 receptions for 911 and 9 touchdowns. He has also racked up 3 interceptions on defense playing 98% of the game both on offense and defense. The Buffaloes are playing a pro-style offense. The defense is giving up a total of 21.5 points per game. Players to watch: RB Augustave, LB Nikhai Hill-Green, WR LaJohntay Wester, WR Will Sheppard and S Shilo Sanders.
Kansas Jayhawks (4-6, 3-4 Big 12)
The Jayhawks are on a 2-game winning streak. In their last 5 games, the Jayhawks are 3-2 with wins over Houston, Iowa State and BYU. The leader of the Jayhawks is quarterback Jalon Daniels. He has 1985 passing yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He will be the key for the Jayhawks offense plain and simple. Running back Devin Neal has 926 yards on 162 carries and 12 touchdowns. In last week’s victory over BYU these two controlled the clock and moved the chains. This is a pretty good football team that finally played all four quarters. Players to watch: WR Luke Grimm, LB JB Brown, CB Mello Dotson and PK Tabor Allen.
Prediction
ESPN has the Buffaloes with a 54.5% chance of winning on the road in Kansas City. Keep in mind that the Jayhawks handed the BYU Cougars their first loss of the season last week. BYU beat Colorado earlier this season. This game will be closer than anyone thinks. I’m taking Colorado by 10! The defense is stingy and physical upfront.
Final Score
Buffaloes – 34
Jayhawks – 24
