The No. 23 Colorado Buffaloes have the better offense, led by future NFL first-round draft picks Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner.
The No. 17 BYU Cougars have the better defense, particularly against the pass, led by a group of ball hawks who have 20 combined interceptions, tops in the country.
So which nationally ranked team that had designs on playing in the Big 12 championship game last month but stumbled down the stretch is going to win the Consolation Bowl, otherwise known as the Valero Alamo Bowl, on Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio?
Kickoff between Coach Prime's plethora of superstars and coach Kalani Sitake's collection of overachievers who have punched above their weight class all season is at 5:30 p.m. MST and will be televised nationally by ABC.
Colorado started as a one- or two-point favorite when the initial odds were released, but that number has steadily grown up to five.
It is easily the most compelling postseason game outside the College Football Playoff games, and the nation will be watching, primarily to see the popular Deion Sanders , his quarterback son, and, of course, Hunter, the versatile two-way player who has captured the imagination of the nation as the best player in all of college football.
"This is a big game. We are very hungry (to win it)," said BYU's star receiver and All-American kick returner Keelan Marion . "They got some great guys over there — Travis, Shedeur, Shilo (Sanders). They even got some other guys who are under the radar over there who are good. I think everyone is hyped for it."
The stakes aren't as high as they would have been in a conference championship game with a CFP berth on the line, a berth that went to Arizona State, but they are significant nevertheless. A good chunk of national credibility is in play, despite the awkwardness of two teams from the same league squaring off.
As Coach Prime rebuilds a once-proud program, Colorado is chasing its first bowl win in 20 years, a 33-28 victory over UTEP in the Houston Bowl. Since then, the Buffs are 0-4 in postseason games. A bowl win over a nationally ranked team that was as high as No. 6 would signal Prime's reclamation project in Boulder is nearly complete.
BYU, which beat Colorado 20-17 in the 1988 Freedom Bowl the last time the two programs from neighboring states faced each other, has won 10 bowl games since CU won one, and has appeared in 17. The Cougars still act and talk like they have something to prove.
BYU felt a bit slighted by their No. 17 CFP ranking, believing it is better than a couple of teams that played in last weekend's CFP matchups, and can prove that lack of respect was unwarranted with a win over the favored Buffs and their well-known coach.
"It is a difficult matchup. We are going to have to be at our best in a lot of different ways. They do some unique things, and the goal is to try to stop everybody, but I don't know if you can do that with all the weapons they have. We are just going to have to have a complete game in all three phases and put it all together."
"We want to finish strong … and get the team rolling into next year," said BYU receiver Chase Roberts, who announced last Saturday that he is returning for his final season of eligibility , much to the delight of BYU fans everywhere. "We have gotten better this bowl (prep) week. We have been excited every practice. And that's what we gotta do when we come into the bowl game, is just be more excited than they are."
"That's usually what happens, is the more excited team wins. We have had a great few weeks of practice," Roberts continued.
Speaking of bowl experience, Sitake is 4-2 in bowl games, most recently having defeated SMU 24-23 in the 2022 New Mexico Bowl , and knows what it takes to win them. However, this is arguably the biggest postseason challenge in his nine-year tenure at BYU. It is BYU's first Power Four conference opponent in a bowl game since playing Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl in 2015.
"It is a difficult matchup. We are going to have to be at our best in a lot of different ways. They do some unique things, and the goal is to try to stop everybody, but I don't know if you can do that with all the weapons they have," Sitake said. "We are just going to have to have a complete game in all three phases and put it all together."
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders confers with his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, during game Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. | David Zalubowski, Associated Press
Sitake said BYU's focus has been "razor sharp" the past three weeks, partly because the players know that if they don't show up in the Alamo City prepared and ready, Colorado could embarrass them as it did Utah and Oklahoma State.
"I think we will perform well," Sitake said. "We will see if it is good enough to beat them."
Although BYU (10-2) has the better record and the higher ranking, Deion Sanders has spoken as if the Buffs are the favorite since the time the bowl bids were announced in early December.
"Consistent team that can run the ball. They can throw the ball. They defend well. I see a lot of discipline, a lot of young men that may not receive some of the accolades that they deserve," Sanders said of BYU. "… So trust me, ain't nobody taking them lightly. They not sneaking up on us. We know when they coming."
If BYU has an advantage, it might be that the Cougars are more balanced offensively , while CU relies heavily on Shedeur Sanders' ability to spread the ball around. The Buffs are 133rd out of 133 teams in the FBS in rushing yards per game.
BYU is third in team pass efficiency defense. The Cougars will be shorthanded on the offensive line — tackles Brayden Keim and Isaiah Jatta won't play — and at safety, as starter Crew Wakley entered the transfer portal shortly after BYU downed Houston 30-18 to get its 10th win.
"They are very talented in the skill positions," said BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill. "Obviously they have a phenomenal quarterback to get them the ball. I think the wideouts are as good as we have faced this year, especially as a group, very good. And obviously we are facing the Heisman Trophy winner, one of the best athletes in the country. So yeah, good challenge for us."
When Sitake, Hill and offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick were with Kyle Whittingham at Utah, they developed a reputation for being outstanding in bowl games. What's the secret to winning them?
"Well, I think you have gotta be excited about the game, and the matchup. You gotta handle these practices the right way," Hill said last week. "And I can say this: The last two weeks of practice has been as good as we have had on defense. So I am excited about that."
BYU coach Kalani Sitake celebrates after BYU beat SMU in Dallas on Sept. 6, 2024. | Jaren Wilkey/BYU PHOTO
Roderick concurred, saying the Jake Retzlaff-led offense has been dialed in all month after sputtering a bit in November against Utah and Kansas in particular.
"Our team is really proud of being 10-2. I think our team is disappointed in not being in the playoff. You could make an argument that we are better than a couple teams that are in it, I believe," Roderick said. "Nobody here is not excited about playing. We have had a fun year, a great year. Everybody is excited to play this game, for sure.
"We are playing against a really good team that we respect a lot, and I think it is going to be one of the most exciting games this month," Roderick concluded.
