The Colorado Buffaloes enter the second half of the season in contention to possibly win the Big 12 and maybe even make its way to the College Football Playoff.
Second-year head coach Deion Sanders has the Buffs out to a 5-2 record, including 3-1 in Big 12 play.
A Saturday night showdown with the Cincinnati Bearcats looms this week. Cincinnati is also 3-1 in Big 12 play, and a second loss for either team will likely knock them out of contention for the Big 12 Championship.
If Colorado wants to continue to be successful, two-way superstar Travis Hunter’s recovery from his shoulder injury will be perhaps the most important aspect. Hunter suffered the injury in Colorado’s 31-28 loss to the Kansas State Wildcats two weeks ago.
While he didn’t miss Colorado’s 34-7 win over the Arizona Wildcats, he played much less than usual. Hunter was on the field for 41 offensive snaps but just 13 defensive snaps in the first half, and with Colorado taking a 28-7 lead into the locker room, Hunter rested for the second half.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Sanders updated the media on Hunter’s recovery and noted that he expected the wide receiver/cornerback to play a much bigger role against Cincinnati.
“Travis is better than last week. I think he’ll have more productivity because he’s feeling much better than last week. As you could just tell with his little giddyup and the way he goes about life, a little more pep in his step today,” Sanders said via ESPN.
Along with keeping the Buffaloes alive in the conference championship hunt, a win would give the team bowl eligibility for the first time in a full season since 2016.
[ESPN]
