Colorado achieves bowl eligibility: The victory over Cincinnati brings the Buffaloes under Deion Sanders an important milestone

Colorado reached the six-win mark and became bowl eligible for just the third time in the last 17 years with a 34-23 home win over Cincinnati on Saturday. It was the Buffaloes' fifth win in their last six games since a loss to Nebraska in Week 2 under second-year coach Deion Sanders. They are 4-1 in Big 12 play and the win keeps them in the thick of the hotly contested conference title race.

The Buffaloes have already met their preseason win prediction of 5.5 on sports betting apps. Many criticized Sanders' heavy use of the transfer portal over the past two offseasons, but it appears his unorthodox approach to roster construction is starting to pay off in Boulder, Colorado. The Buffs have a bona fide Heisman contender in Travis Hunter – who currently has a +440 bet to win the trophy, according to DraftKings – and a quarterback candidate in the first round of the NFL Draft in Shedeur Sanders.

The last time Colorado was invited to a postseason game was during the COVID-19-shortened season in 2020. The Buffaloes finished 4-2 and lost to Texas in the Alamo Bowl. Colorado last surpassed the six-win mark in 2016, when the program went 10-4 under Mike MacIntyre.

The Buffaloes have not won a bowl game since defeating UTEP in the Houston Bowl in 2004.

Colorado closes the season against Texas Tech, Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State. BYU (5-0) and Iowa State (4-0) remain the only teams in the league that have yet to lose a game in Big 12 play. Kansas State and Colorado are coming off a loss before the start of the college football season.