Admin November 16, 2024
Georgia falls out of latest CFP ranking, but do they have a path back in?
The second edition of the College Football Playoff rankings are out and while Georgia’s omission is notable, they should easily work their way back in.
Sports Pulse
According to outside experts, today’s matchup between the Utah and Colorado football teams was not supposed to turn out like this.
The Utes were the preseason favorites to win the Big 12 Conference, as voted on by the media who cover the league. The same media picked the Buffaloes to finish 11th under second-year head coach Deion Sanders.
Yet here we are in November and it’s almost become the opposite. Colorado (7-2) is in second place in the Big 12 and will play for the Big 12 championship if the Buffaloes can win their final three regular-season games, starting with the Utes (4-5) in Boulder at noon ET today on Fox.
By contrast, Utah sits near the bottom of the standings with a 1-5 league record after losing three quarterbacks to injury this season, including former starter Cam Rising.
Colorado still has not beaten Utah in its last seven tries dating to 2017. A loss against the Utes today at home would be practically catastrophic after the Buffs soared all the way to No. 17 in the College Football Playoff rankings this week. It could cripple their playoff hopes. The stakes also remain high for Colorado receiver-cornerback Travis Hunter, who is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy Dec. 14, according to BetMGM.
Follow along here for updates, highlights and news:
Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter added yet another play to his Heisman Trophy highlight reel. This time he came down with 28-yard catch on fourth down while being sandwiched by two Utah defenders. After jumping to get it, he came down at the Colorado 6-yard line, where quarterback Shedeur Sanders then found receiver Will Sheppard on the right side of the field for a 6-yard touchdown pass on the next play.
Shedeur Sanders completed 12 of 13 passes on that drive to help the Buffaloes take a 21-6 lead with 49 seconds left before halftime. But Utah answered with a 47-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to cut the Buffaloes’ lead to 21-9.
Hunter has three catches for 42 yards on offense and an interception on defense. Sanders has completed 18 of 25 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
Utah’s only scores have come on field goals by Cole Becker, a transfer from Colorado. The first two came after Colorado turnovers – an interception by Sanders on the first play of the game and a fumbled snap by Sanders in the second quarter.
Utah will get the ball to open the second half.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders couldn’t handle a low third-down snap from center as the ball bounced to the ground and into the grasp of Utah defensive lineman Junior Tafuna. Utah then took over at the Colorado 23-yard line and ran four plays before kicking a 34-yard field goal with 5:35 left before halftime.
The kick from Colorado transfer Cole Becker cuts Colorado’s lead to 14-6. Both Utah field goals have come after Colorado turnovers gave the Utes a short field. The other was an interception from Sanders on the first play of the game.
Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter intercepted a tipped pass from Utah at the end of the first quarter with the Buffaloes holding a 14-3 lead. Hunter then returned it 22 yards to the Utes 47-yard line before getting flagged for excessive celebration.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders has completed four of seven passes for 61 yards and one touchdown with one interception on the game’s first play
Colorado is now up 14-3 after Utah punted the ball into the hands of LaJohntay Wester, who then proceeded to turn on his jets and race 76 yards up the field for a touchdown. Wester, a transfer from Florida Atlantic, fielded the ball at his own 24-yard line and scored with 5:49 left in the first quarter.
Utah has had the ball twice, each time leading to scores – a field goal for the Utes and a punt return for a touchdown for Colorado.
Colorado answered Utah’s opening score with a 40-yard touchdown pass on fourth down from Sanders. Utah jumped offsides on the play, but Sanders launched a bomb to the left side of the field, where Vanderbilt transfer Will Sheppard turned to reel it into the end zone for the score. The drive went five plays for 58 yards and gave the Buffaloes a 7-3 lead with 7:51 left in the first quarter.
On the first play of the game, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw an interception over the middle of the field to Utah linebacker Lander Barton, who returned it 17 yards to the Colorado 21-yard line. The Utes proceeded to run seven plays but had to settle for a 32-yard field goal after suffering a sack on third down. Utah leads, 3-0, with 10:08 left in the first quarter.
When is the Utah-Colorado game?
Kickoff is at noon ET Saturday, Nov. 16, from Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.
The game will be broadcast on Fox and also is available on Fubo. Former Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt will handle the broadcast for Fox, along with play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson and sideline reporter Jenny Taft.
Watch Colorado vs. Utah on Fubo
Colorado superfan Peggy Coppom was treated to a birthday cake on Fox’s pregame show Saturday a few days before she turns 100 years old. Her birthday is Tuesday. She and her late twin sister Betty have attended more than 2,500 CU games in different sports dating to around 1940, as estimated by the university. Coppom formed a special bond with Colorado coach Deion Sanders after his hiring in December 2022. He vowed before the season to get her to a postseason bowl. Now he wants more as his team eyes the Big 12 championship
The Buffaloes became bowl-eligible last month and now are playing for a playoff berth and premium bowl invitation. It all depends on how they finish. If they lose one or more of their final three regular-season games, they could fall out of playoff contention and end up in the Holiday or Alamo bowls on Dec. 27 and 28.
But if they win out and then win the Big 12 championship on Dec. 7, they would end up in the new 12-team playoff and quite possibly get a first-round bye as one of the four highest-ranked conference champions. In that case, they would play in a quarterfinal game on Dec. 31 or Jan. 1 in the Fiesta, Sugar, Rose or Peach bowls.
Three are out with injury, led by former starter Cam Rising, who missed the 2023 season with a knee injury and then suffered a leg injury last month that ended his season. Quarterback Brandon Rose started last week’s 22-21 loss against BYU but suffered a foot injury that ended his season, too. Before that, coach Kyle Whittingham revealed that backup QB Sam Huard had surgery and also would not be available for the rest of the season.
That leaves freshman Isaac Wilson to start today vs. Colorado if he is feeling well enough after suffering from an illness this week. He is the brother of NFL quarterback Zach Wilson and has started five games for the Utes, completing 98 of 177 passes for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns. His backup will be senior Luke Bottari, who has not played this year.
If this all seems familiar, it’s because a similar injury wave led Bottari, the fifth-string quarterback, to start last year’s game against Colorado. The Utes won that one anyway, 23-17.
But they’ll still be challenged to keep their quarterbacks from feeling more pain today. Colorado leads the Big 12 in quarterback sacks with 29.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
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