It is a waiting game NOW for the Buffaloes and Rams.
After Colorado took care of business on Friday with a 52-0 shutout win in Boulder over Oklahoma State, Colorado State rallied from a 30-13 deficit to defeat Utah State 42-37 in Fort Collins. WOELK’S WRITINGS / BROHARD’S BLAST
NOW, CU (7-2 Big XII Conference, 9-3) and CSU (6-1 Mountain West Conference, 8-4) await the completion of regular season play Saturday to see if the Buffs and Rams will play in their league’s championship games next weekend Texas and Idaho, respectively.
The Buffs, atop the Big XII standing by one-half game, need either a loss by two of these three – Arizona State (at Arizona), BYU (vs. Houston), or Iowa State (vs. Kansas State) – or a BYU setback and a win by Texas Tech (at West Virginia) to advance.
CSU needs a win by Nevada over UNLV in Las Vegas to secure a spot in the Mountain West title game in Boise against the Broncos.
Here is a recap of Friday’s game: CU and CSU are bowl-eligible in the same season for the first time since 2016. The Buffs and Rams have bowled in the same season nine times – 1990, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2016.
Shedeur Sanders, named the Unitas Golden Arm Award winner before the game, finished 34-for-41 for 438 yards and five touchdowns in the Buff victory. With 35 touchdown passes, Sanders set a single-season record as an FBS quarterback at Centennial State.
Heisman Trophy candidate Travis Hunter caught ten passes for 116 yards and three touchdowns. On defense, Hunter had an interception and two pass breakups. LaJohntay Wester had a career day as a Buff with 11 receptions for 175 yards and two scores.
CU’s defense held Oklahoma State to 147 total yards, as 86 came on the Cowboy’s final drive. OSU was three for 15 on third down plays with only ten first downs.
The 52-point margin of victory was the largest for the Buffs in the series, with CU leading 27-20-1. The Buffs have shut out Oklahoma State six times since the start of the series in 1960. The Cowboys entered Saturday’s game with three straight wins over CU, including a 38-6 Alamo Bowl victory in 2016.
Down by 17 points after Utah State intercepted a pass and returned it for the touchdown with 39 seconds left in the third quarter, CSU scored 29 straight points to take a 42-30 lead with 1:37 left in the game.
Utah State scored with 14 seconds left in the game to cut the margin to five and then recovered the ensuing kickoff for one more opportunity to win the game. However, Dom Jones’ interception secured the win to preserve the Rams’ chance to still play for the Mountain West title next Saturday.
Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi passed for three Ram TDs and one successful 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter. His three-yard TD run with 2:32 left in the game gave CSU its first lead.
By completing six of eight aerials in the final quarter for 111 yards, Fowler Nicolosi posted season highs for completions (31), passing yards (370), and TD passes (4). Avery Morrow rushed for 80 yards, and Dane Wilson caught five passes for 140 yards and one touchdown reception of 28 yards with 19 seconds left in the first half.
NOW, the Buffs and Rams await the outcome of Saturday’s game to see if they are playing for a conference title or awaiting bowl selection on Sunday. Either way, 2024 has been successful, with both CU (third most improved, +5) and CSU (20th, +3) ranking among the most improved teams in college football.
