Rams and Buffs Qualify for Post-Season Action
Trevor Phipps
During the holidays, many get excited about Christmas and Yuletide festivities. But for college football fans, T’s the season for Bowl Game season as fans get the chance to cozy up next to their fireplaces and watch some great matchups.
In past seasons, Colorado college football fans were left out of the festivities altogether and had been forced to pick an out-of-state team to cheer on. However, this year is different as both Colorado University (CU) and Colorado State University (CSU) qualified for post-season bowl activity for the first time in several seasons.
Both have experienced their own trips to bowl games, but they haven’t made a bowl appearance in eight seasons.
The Buffs finished 9-3 and qualified to play BYU in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas at 5:30 p.m. on December 28. The Rams finished 8-4 and qualified to play against Miami (Ohio) in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl in Tucson, Arizona at 2:30 p.m. on December 28.
This year, you will not be left in the dark and end up having to root for power houses Alabama or Miami this bowl season. The following are some of the highlights of a prosperous college football season for key Colorado teams.
Colorado Buffaloes
Ever since Deion Sanders made his way to Boulder before last season, he and the Buffs have been the talk of college football around the nation. The team gets more press time than ever before, and they have been selling out their stadium every game.
However, with the good publicity has come some bad as well. Many fans have already made up their opinion about Coach Prime whether it is positive or negative. But love him or hate him, he really has turned the CU football program around.
Moreover, they have put Colorado college football teams on the map like never before. Whether it is just hearing about the team’s cocky antics, or Deion’s favoritism, CU games have commanded national and state attention.
The Buffs played well all season, and for a while, many thought they had a valid chance at snagging the Big 12 Championship game. But with a four-way tie in the end, the Buffs missed out on the championship even though they finished with a 9-3 overall record.
The Buffs probably would have had a clear path to the championship game if they hadn’t fallen to Kansas in Week 13. But for many state college fans, breaking their losing streak and qualifying for a bowl game amounted to a huge victory.
Overall, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why the Buffs were so successful this season, as they do have two of college football’s best players. It’s hard not to have a good team when you have cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Both are slated to be picked up early in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sanders improved his QB rating to 168.8 from the 151.7 it was in the 2023 season. He passed for almost 4,000 yards this year and racked up a 74.2 percent completion percentage.
Hunter, meanwhile, is high on the list for the Heisman Trophy this year as he has proven to be stellar on offense and defense. On offense, Hunter had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns, plus two rushes for 5 yards and one touchdown. On defense, he recorded 31 tackles, 11 passes deflected, four interceptions and one forced fumble.
Hopefully, fans will get a chance to witness a big bowl victory before Hunter and Sanders move on, marking the end of an era for Buff fans. It will be interesting next year to see how the team fares without their two premiere stars.
Colorado State Rams
Hopes were not high for the 2024 season for the Rams as they struggled quite a bit in the beginning. Ram fans seemed to lose all hope after they lost their third match to the Buffs.
Ironically, that is when they started to turn their season around. They experienced another blow when they lost 39-31 to Oregon State in Week 6. Then, the Rams won five in a row to qualify for a bowl contest.
At one point, the Rams too had a shot at the Mountain West Championship game. But, their loss to Fresno State in Week 13 sealed the deal and forced them to end up with an 8-4 overall record.
Rams’ sophomore quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi had quite the season himself with nearly 2,500 total passing yards, a 61.8 completion percentage and a 132.5 QB rating. The Rams QB also reaped the benefits of a potent running game assault, with more than 2,000 total rushing yards for the season.
Running back Avery Morrow led the rushing team with 166 carries for 956 yards and nine touchdowns. Running back Justin Marshall was also key on offense with 145 carries for 662 yards and four touchdowns.
With a young quarterback and a good coach in Jay Norvell, the Rams seem to have a promising future. But we will see how they fare in the Big 12 next season as the Rams will have a tougher schedule.
Air Force Falcons
The Falcons definitely didn’t fly this year, as they fell far short of reaching their desired mark. They lost many key players due to graduation, following the 2023 season. The Falcons really struggled initially this year, before they were able to end the season with four consecutive wins to give them a 5-7 overall record.
In the end, they were just one win away from qualifying for a bowl game, but no cigar. Maybe, next year.
