Colorado Benefits From Wild Day In Big 12; Deion Sanders And Buffs Have A Path To College Football Playoff

Published|Updated

Just when you thought things in the Big 12 couldn’t get any crazier, Iowa State and Kansas State both lost on Saturday, which sets up a path for Deion Sanders and Colorado to play for a conference title, with a playoff spot up for grabs. 

As we've seen throughout the 2024 season, the Big 12 conference has been one of hardest to predict based off results on the field. Just when you thought Iowa State and BYU were on a collision course, all hell broke loose in the conference on Saturday. 

For Deion Sanders and Colorado, they needed some help if they were going to contend for a conference title, and possibly a spot in the college football playoff, currently sitting at 6-2 on the season. Well, that's exactly what happened on Saturday, with Iowa State losing to Texas Tech, and Kansas State losing on the road at Houston. 

So now, there's a scenario brewing in Boulder that could lead to the Buffaloes earning a spot in the Big 12 championship, with a spot in the playoffs on the line as well. Currently, BYU is the only undefeated team in conference play, and there's a log-jam for 2nd-4th place, and Coach Prime has his team in the perfect spot.

How Does Colorado Play For Big 12 Title, And College Football Playoff?  

The scenario looks like this, if Colorado wins its remaining games this season. Right now, Iowa State and Colorado are technically tied for second place, but the Cyclones would advance under the tiebreaker scenario if they were to win out. But, the chaos equation comes at the end of the regular season. 

Iowa State and Kansas State will play in the regular season finale on November 30, and there is a lot at stake in that one. The Cyclones still have to play Kansas, Cincinnati and Utah before that game against the Wildcats, which could cause chaos. 

Deion Sanders has led Colorado to a 6-2 record, and fighting for a Big 12 title game appearance

BOULDER, Colo. - Travis Hunter #12 of the Colorado Buffaloes celebrates after his first quarter touchdown against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Folsom Field on October 26, 2024. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

If Colorado wins out, and Iowa State loses another game, this would put the Buffaloes in the Big 12 title game. Deion Sanders' squad still has to play Texas Tech, Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State to finish conference play, and all of those are winnable games for this team. 

The Buffs' loss to Kansas State a few weeks ago certainly hurt them in the tiebreaker scenario, but they might not need it at the end. For Coach Prime's team, the easiest scenario is BYU and Colorado winning out, then Kansas State defeating Iowa State in that season finale, which would have the Cougars and Buffaloes playing for a conference title, and a spot in the playoff. 

So, after all the talk that this Deion Sanders led team was done after the loss to Nebraska in September, Colorado now finds itself in contention for a playoff spot. 

The 2024 season has not disappointed, and Colorado having a shot to play for a spot in the College Football Playoff would be the cherry on top of a wild few months in the Big 12. 

Tags
Written by
Trey Wallace is the host of The Trey Wallace Podcast that focuses on a mixture of sports, culture, entertainment along with his perspective on everything from College Football to the College World Series. Wallace has been covering college sports for 15 years, starting off while attending the University of South Alabama. He’s broken some of the biggest college stories including the Florida football "Credit Card Scandal" along with the firing of Jim McElwin and Kevin Sumlin. Wallace also broke one of the biggest stories in college football in 2020 around the NCAA investigation into recruiting violations against Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Wallace also appears on radio across seven different states breaking down that latest news in college sports.