The Colorado Buffaloes take on the BYU Cougars in the Alamo Bowl during a stacked Saturday slate of bowl games. After spending their Christmas break exploring the streets of San Antonio together, both teams are now ready to suit up for their final game of the year.
Ahead of the matchup, the head coaches of both teams, Deion Sanders and Kalani Sitake, sat down for a press conference the day before the game.
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The two coaches made it clear that they are looking forward to competing against each other. However, their respect for each other shone through more brilliantly.
According to podcaster Ryland Scholes, a CU Buffs alum, Sanders talked about why he leaned into bowl game pageantry in light of their week of bowl parties and festivities.
“Because neither of us were supposed to be here,” Sanders said of the preseason expectations about Colorado and BYU not doing well in 2024. “We were supposed to be at our crib right now improving our roster, but nevertheless, we are here. We’re not gonna take this for granted.”
"Because neither of us were supposed to be here. We were supposed to be at our crib right now improving our roster, but nevertheless, we are here… We're not gonna take this for granted." – Deion Sanders on why he's leaned into the bowl game pageantry. #CUBuffs
— Ryland Scholes (@rylandscholes) December 27, 2024
The Cougars and the Buffs were ranked near the bottom of the standings in the 2024 Big 12 preseason media poll but instead ended the season close to the summit of the conference rankings.
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This is Colorado’s first bowl game appearance since 2020. Meanwhile, if BYU wins this matchup, it will bring its season tally to 11 victories, with only four other Cougar teams, since their inception, passing that total.
Talking about the same, Sitake said: “I have a great relationship with Coach Prime. I have a lot of respect for what he’s done with his team. Here we are sitting in this position that nobody predicted us to be in. We’re in this game, we’re looking forward to it.”
During the presser, when asked about his plans for the 2025 campaign, Sanders shifted the conversation back to the bowl game.
“We’re not looking at this as a springboard. This is a game we want to win. We’re not just making a cameo here, just to show up. We don’t do that. We have a valued opponent. A guy whose team is well-coached, disciplined, they’re structured, and get after it on both sides of the ball. They’ve got some tremendous players.”
BYU’s stellar defense will pose a problem for Colorado’s incredible offense, as it is to be noted that the Cougars had 12 different players each record interceptions, ending with an FBS-leading total of 20 in 2024.
“They’re not gonna make mistakes. We’re gonna have to beat them,” Coach Prime said. “They’re not gonna allow us to beat them. They are going to play the game of football like they have been taught to play.”
However, BYU’s defense will be against two key playmakers on the Buffs, quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman winner WR/CB Travis Hunter.
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“Difficult matchup,” Sitake said. “The goal is to try to stop everybody, but I don’t know if you can do that with all the weapons they have. … When you look at what Colorado does, you look at the talent, you see how well-coached they are.
“One of the things that’s most impressive is they have talent, and you can see it. But they have a high IQ, which means that they’re learning quite a bit from their coaching staff, and they’re learning from the experience of the game.”
The Alamodome will be filled with blue and white on one side and silver, black, and gold on the other, with the kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET, with the game to be broadcast on ABC.
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