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Colorado overtakes Texas Tech and takes another step toward the College Football Playoff

Colorado's hopes of reaching the Big 12 Championship Game and the College Football Playoff got a boost Saturday. Thanks to the efforts of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, the No. 20 Buffaloes rallied from an initial double-digit deficit to post a 41-27 road win over Texas Tech.

The win, combined with No. 17 Iowa State's 45-36 loss at Kansas, gives the Buffaloes sole possession of second place in the Big 12 standings. If Colorado (7-2, 5-1 Big 12) wins its final three games, it would clinch the program's berth in the Big 12 title game in coach Deion Sanders' second season.

How Colorado did it

The Buffaloes got off to a rough start in Lubbock, Texas, falling behind 13-0 late in the first quarter. Colorado fumbled on its first four possessions and Texas Tech scored on its first three. The Buffs' defense, which held the Red Raiders to score twice, proved crucial.

When Shedeur Sanders found LaJohntay Wester for a 23-yard touchdown pass midway through the second quarter, the Buffaloes got rolling. They scored on five straight possessions in the second and third quarters to build a 31-13 lead.

Colorado put on a typical offensive performance, with Sanders distributing the ball to his talented receivers. Hunter (99 receiving yards), Wester (82) and Will Sheppard (79) each caught at least six passes and a touchdown.

The defense deserves most of the credit for the win. Colorado held Tech — the Big 12's highest-scoring offense — below its scoring average of 36.4 points per game. The Buffs' defensive front was outstanding and did something most teams haven't done this year: slowing down Texas Tech running back Tahj Brooks.

Through the first three quarters, Colorado held Brooks – the Big 12's second-leading rusher – to just 58 yards on 23 attempts. Brooks began to break free in the fourth quarter and finished with 137 yards on 31 carries. But when the Red Raiders faced fourth-and-goal with less than five minutes left and hoped to make it a one-possession game, the Buffaloes' front seven destroyed Tech's offensive line, bringing Brooks to one loss and forced a turnover on downs.

Colorado also constantly pressured Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton, bringing him down six times. Linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green picked off Morton in the fourth quarter and defensive end Arden Walker recorded a sack/fumble late in the fourth quarter, which Shilo Sanders returned with a 6-yard touchdown, sealing the win.

In celebration, Shilo paid homage to his father's signature touchdown dance.

Travis Hunter watch

Hunter, who is in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race, played most of his team's snaps, as usual. His biggest impact came at receiver, where he led the Buffs with nine catches for 99 yards and a touchdown on 16 targets. Of his 99 yards, 75 came after the catch, including 26 on his touchdown reception that gave Colorado a two-score lead.

Hunter's score late in the third quarter was his 99th snap of the game. He was in first place The athlete's latest Heisman straw poll.

Hunter also found a mid-game snack in the first half. Earlier this week, Deion Sanders learned about the decades-long tradition of Texas Tech students throwing tortillas in the air during games. Carbohydrates from the air were plentiful on Saturday, and many of them ended up on the field. Hunter took one and put it in his uniform.

What happened to Iowa State?

Last month, Iowa State was one of two undefeated teams in the Big 12 and in an ideal position for both the conference title and a playoff spot. Now the Cyclones' high hopes are in serious trouble and they need help getting to the conference title game after two straight losses. Last week's home loss to Texas Tech was painful, but Saturday's setback against the Jayhawks was an upside.

Thanks to Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels, Iowa State's best defense was on skates Saturday. The fifth-year senior looked like the early 2023 version of himself, cutting up Iowa State's secondary with downfield completions and using his legs to move the chains in the run game.

Daniels completed six passes of 20 or more yards, including a 70-yard touchdown toss to Luke Grimm and a 62-yard completion to Quentin Skinner that set up a Daniels touchdown run. Iowa State allowed the Kansas receivers to run free early and often, and it helped the Cyclones erase a 25-point deficit by the third quarter.

Kansas running back Devin Neal also ran recklessly through the Cyclones, racking up 138 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns.

Offensively, quarterback Rocco Becht was often under pressure in the first half and Iowa State struggled to generate a consistent rushing attack. As the Cyclones increased the offensive tempo in their second-half comeback attempt, Becht found a rhythm. Iowa State scored 23 points in the game's final 20 minutes, but Becht threw a pick six to Kansas' Mello Dotson, thwarting the rally.

Impact on the Big 12 title and the CFP

There are now only two teams in the Big 12 with one or fewer conference losses: No. 9 BYU and Colorado. No. 19 Kansas State, which was inactive Saturday, is the other Big 12 team in the playoff bubble.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, who was at West Virginia's win over Cincinnati on Saturday, pushed for his conference members to receive better consideration in the playoff rankings and said he was “hopeful” that the league can get two teams into the playoffs.

The conference's chances of adding two teams were hurt by Saturday's loss at Iowa State. The most likely way for the Big 12 to clinch two spots would be for BYU to go undefeated in the regular season but lose in the conference championship and clinch one of the overall spots. The top five ranked conference champions advance to the playoff field and there are a total of seven spots up for grabs. In the Big 12, BYU, Colorado and Kansas State have the best chances to snag either the automatic or at-large bid.

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(Photo by Shedeur Sanders: Stephen Garcia / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

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