Colorado (8-2, 6-1 Big 12) at Kansas (4-6, 3-4)
When/where: 1:30 p.m. Saturday/Arrowhead Stadium
TV/Radio: FOX/850 KOA
BetMGM Line: CU -3, 59.5 over/under
Weather: 52 degrees, partly sunny
Series History: CU leads 42-25-3; Kansas won last matchup 52-45 in 2010
Three storylines
Trap game: The Jayhawks are playing way better lately than their record indicates. Kansas’ surge started in late October when they lost by two points to rival Kansas State. Since then, KU toppled then-unbeaten No. 17 Iowa State at home, followed by an upset over then-unbeaten No. 7 BYU on the road. It marked the first time in program history that Kansas beat ranked opponents in consecutive weeks. CU cannot look past this game, especially with a lay-up looming against Oklahoma State (0-7 in the Big 12) in the season finale.
Run game showdown: Kansas is third in the Big 12 at 200.3 rushing yards per game. Devin Neal is KU’s featured back, averaging 5.7 yards per carry, with 926 yards total and 12 touchdowns. Meanwhile, CU’s defense is coming off a dominant run-game performance against Utah in which the Buffs limited the Utes to just 31 rushing yards on 30 attempts. The linebacker combination of LaVonta Bentley and Nikhai Hill-Green is a big part of that run-stuffing, as is BJ Green II up front and Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig flying in from the third level.
Heisman favorite: Travis Hunter has been in the conversation to win the Heisman Trophy all season, and he is now the odds-on favorite. The star wideout/cornerback is a -400 betting favorite, per BetMGM’s odds, ahead of Boise State tailback Ashton Jeanty (+350) and Miami quarterback Cam Ward (+1500). For reference, Hunter opened the season at +3500 to win the award. A couple more games filled with flashy plays, and Hunter is in the pole position to become CU’s second winner, joining running back Rashaan Salaam (1994).
Predictions
Kyle Newman, sportswriter: CU 38, Kansas 14
The Buffs are simply playing too well in all phases right now to be derailed by a Jayhawks’ squad on a late-season surge. Shedeur Sanders turns in another prolific game, Will Sheppard catches two more TDs and the CU defense registers five sacks in the blowout.
Sean Keeler, sports columnist: CU 30, Kansas 28
If you ever asked yourself, “What if UCF had a legitimate secondary?” … you’d probably get KU. Welcome to the matchup that’s quietly worried Buffs faithful for weeks. CU’s been overwhelming Big 12 defenses with basically four (or more) WR1s (Hunter, Wester, Sheppard, Horn, etc.), but KU is one of the few rosters in the league that can actually counter with more than one CB1 in Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson. The Jayhawks rank among the FBS top 30 in rushing yards per game (199.0) and takeaways per game (1.4), a stat combo CU really hasn’t seen before (although CSU comes close), and a tough one to have to rally against. The Buffs feel inevitable right now, but the Jayhawks won’t go away quietly.
Matt Schubert, sports editor: CU 33, Kansas 20
The last significant hurdle between CU and the Big 12 championship game is a Kansas team finally playing like the unit that pundits envisioned back in August. Still, the Jayhawks haven’t faced anyone with nearly as much firepower as the Buffs. And as good as KU RB Devin Neal has been, he was just limited to 52 yards by a middle-of-the-pack BYU defense. You know who’s one spot ahead of BYU in the FBS rush defense rankings? The Buffs.
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