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Colorado football becomes bowl eligible with win vs Cincinnati; 5 takeaways

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Deion Sanders and the Colorado football team became bowl eligible with a 34-23 win vs. Cincinnati on Saturday night.

The Buffaloes (6-2, 4-1 Big 12) have now won five of their last six games entering the second bye week.

Here are five takeaways from Colorado’s bowl-clinching win:

Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter deliver Heisman performances

Two of the best college football players in America play for Colorado and they both proved it once again on Saturday night. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders completed each of his first 15 pass attempts (breaking a CU record held by Joel Klatt since 2005) and scored his third rushing touchdown of the season. The projected first-round NFL draft pick finished the game completing 83% (25-for-30) of his passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns.

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Travis Hunter missed the second half of each of the last two games with a shoulder injury, but he was back to his Heisman ways in Week 9. The two-way star caught all nine of his targets for 153 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, Hunter notched two tackles (one solo) and four pass breakups.

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There isn’t a single Heisman Trophy list that shouldn’t include Hunter and Sanders near the top of it.

Colorado football starts fast for second straight week

Slow starts have plagued the Colorado football team all season, even in wins. It seems as though the Buffs have figured out how to start games with a better sense of urgency.

After Colorado scored on its opening drive against Arizona last week, the Buffs scored on each of their four first-half drives on Saturday night (three touchdowns, one field goal). The defense also began the game by forcing a Cincinnati three and out.

If Colorado can continue to start fast and build early leads, it could very well find itself playing for a Big 12 championship in December.

Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur called a balanced game

Colorado offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur has come under fire at times this season for calling a pass-heavy offense. The result has too often been a non-existent running game and a one-dimensional offense. That wasn’t the case on Saturday night.

After one quarter of play, Shedeur Sanders had 10 pass attempts and Colorado running backs had 10 rush attempts. At halftime, Sanders had 18 pass attempts and Colorado running backs had 14 rush attempts. It was the kind of balance that Buff fans have been clamoring for, and it was a big reason why Colorado held a 24-14 lead at halftime.

Isaiah Augustave (Arkansas transfer) finished with a season-high 91 rushing yards on 22 attempts (4.1 per carry) and scored a rushing touchdown for the third consecutive week. Dallan Hayden (Ohio State transfer) also had his best game as a Buff, rushing for 36 yards on 10 carries.

Colorado football is going bowling

The Colorado football program hasn’t played in a bowl game since 2020. The Buffs haven’t won a bowl game since 2004. Both of those droughts came to an end on Saturday night.

Deion Sanders is also now 10-10 as head coach of the Colorado football team. The Buffs were 4-16 in the 20 games before Sanders took over.

Colorado already has its most wins (six) in a season since 2016.

Adrian Wilson commits to Colorado with Julian Lewis in Boulder

Before things even kicked off on Saturday night, the Colorado football team received some good news. Four-star receiver Adrian Wilson committed to the Buffs while on a visit to Boulder.

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The Weiss High School (Pflugerville, Texas) star decommitted from Arizona State earlier in the week and was previously committed to both Oregon and TCU. Wilson gives Colorado 10 commits for its 2025 recruiting class.

USC quarterback commit Julian Lewis was also one of a few high-profile recruits in Boulder on Saturday night. It was Lewis’ fourth visit to Colorado and the dominant win over Cincinnati could be what ultimately gets the Buffs’ top target to flip.