Wild Saturday Night In College Football, As Georgia Survives Upset Bid, While Colorado Is Four Wins From Bowl

Ok, let's not get ahead of ourselves and go crazy with the late-night endings in college football with No.1 Georgia and Colorado winning in their own respective ways. 

On a day that saw multiple wild-endings, along with a number of head-scratchers, Saturday night produced two games that should not be over-analyzed too much - Georgia's razor-thin 13-12 win over Kentucky and Colorado's "don't get too excited just yet" 28-9 win over Colorado State.

In terms of the regular season, Georgia is usually good for one of these types of performances on a yearly basis, and Kirby Smart will certainly have a lot to say to his team. But the Bulldogs keep their regular-season winning streak intact, with their 42nd straight regular-season win. 

As for Deion Sanders and Colorado, it was back to the basics, as they hunt down a chance at playing in the postseason. 

Ok Georgia, You Got That Type Of Game Out Of your System

There was nothing about Georgia's performance against Kentucky on Saturday night that should force fans of the Bulldogs to freak out. Just be excited your team got out of Lexington with the win, and move on. Producing only 65 yards of total offense in the first half was pretty bad, given that South Carolina was running circles around the Wildcats on both sides of the ball last week. 

Credit to the Wildcats for bringing their best performance against the Bulldogs, and making Kirby Smart go through fingernails like a bad habit. Carson Beck did not have a good night, but he did come up clutch in the fourth quarter, especially on the final possession when they needed a first down to clinch the win. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Demie Sumo-Karngbaye of the Kentucky Wildcats runs the ball as Raylen Wilson of the Georgia Bulldogs tries to make the tackle during the first half at Kroger Field on September 14, 2024. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

This game reminded me of the Missouri game a few years ago, where the Tigers did everything possible to beat Georgia in 2022, but the Bulldogs won 26-22 thanks to Stetson Bennett and a powerful rushing attack. 

The best thing Kirby Smart can do with this game tape is toss it in the trash, and get this team prepared for a trip to Tuscaloosa. In what will be one of the most physical games of the season, both Georgia and Alabama will have a week off to rest and prepare for the monster matchup on September 28. 

I promise you we will see more games like this in the SEC in 2024, as the conference tends to give us some crazy endings when you least expect it. As for Saturday night against Kentucky, all that matters is the win. 

Don't Go Crazy Colorado Fans, But You're Four Wins From A Bowl Game

Heading into the Colorado vs. Colorado State game, there was a thought that this one would resemble last year's double-overtime classic that had viewers glued to their televisions. What we witnessed on Saturday night was an absolute dud of a game, but please don’t start thinking this will lead to some eight-win season for Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes.

Following the win over Colorado State, Deion Sanders used the opening portion of his press conference to go after the CSU players who did an interview during their Media Day on August 14th talking trash about the Buffs program. 

After both teams suffered tough losses last week, in their own ways, both the Buffaloes and Rams were looking to get back in the winner's category. It just so happens that Deion Sanders has much better skill players than Jay Norvell has at Colorado State. Don’t get me wrong, the atmosphere looked fantastic from the television, but the game was boring enough to hurt CBS in television ratings. 

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Travis Hunter of the Colorado Buffaloes celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Colorado State Rams at Canvas Stadium on September 14, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)

Shedeur Sanders passed for over 300 yards, with 4 touchdowns, with two of those TD's going to Travis Hunter, who continues to amaze college football fans with his unmatched skill set. Maybe one of the biggest surprises was this Colorado team rushing for 100 yards, which is an improvement compared to the previous two games. 

"It feels darn good, especially for the Buffs faithful," Deion Sanders said postgame. "Defense played well, offense turned it on at the end, we protected Shedeur quite a bit. All cylinders were clicking today, the scoreboard is not indicative of how the game played out."

Travis Hunter became the first-ever Colorado player to put together four-straight 100-yard receiving games, adding to his own collection of records. 

But please don’t get ahead of yourselves, Colorado fans. While this was a ‘nice’ win for the team, Coach Prime's team still has a long ways to go if they’re going to make a bowl game. But, congratulations, you’re four wins away from the postseason, which should be the main takeaway from the ‘Rocky Mountain Showdown’ win. 

Up next, Baylor will make the trip to Boulder for an 8:00 p.m. primetime game on FOX next week. I could easily see Colorado picking up its third win of the season, but I've learned to never predict a Buffaloes win, given what we witnessed last season. The defense looked better, and the Buffs actually played as a team. 

Baby steps. 

We were given a pretty wild Saturday in college football, and that's all we can ask for. Thankfully, we are just getting this season started, and the next few weeks of September have a number of monster games on the schedule.