The 2024 Alamo Bowl presents some more unique on-field storylines in a non-playoff game. At first glance, many might wonder why two Big 12 teams are playing each other in a bowl game. Bowl affiliations were originally locked into contracts that will end after 20226. Thanks to all of the realignment dominos, the displacement of most of the Pac-12 teams between the Big 12/Big 10/ACC means that these teams become “legacy” teams from the Pac-12 as far as the bowls are concerned. So for this Alam0 Bowl matchup, Colorado serves as a “legacy” school while BYU is the “official” Big 12 representative. Both teams finished in the top half of the Big 12 conference in offensive and defensive rankings.
Alternate Big 12 Championship
Remarkable Year Two In Boulder
When Deion Sanders took over a 1-11 Buffs team, his method to flip the program quickly was met with plenty of criticism. Those calls only grew louder after a 4-8 in 2023. However, in a season in which the head coach has been almost hiding from the spotlight by his standards, he was able to successfully build a team around some of the NFL-caliber skill positions he already had. The Buffalos were in the thick of the Big 12 conference race till the end of the season, in which they finished 9-3. Offensively, the five guys up front protecting Shedeur Sanders were vastly improved and it showed in Sanders’ total offensive output.
Sanders finished the regular season completing 338-of-454 passes for 3,936 yards, 35 touchdowns, and only 8 interceptions. Those numbers helped set some new high marks in the Colorado record books. His 3,936 passing yards passed his own record from the 2023 season he passed the original mark of 3,527 set by Koy Detmer in 1996. The 339 completions in a season surpasses Sefo Liufau’s total of 325 in 2014.
Individual Season Unlike Any Other
Sander’s performance this season landed him a first-team All-Big 12 selection. But all of the accolades went the way of his running mate Travis Hunter. Hunter winning the Heisman Trophy almost feels like just the start of the historic achievements he had in 2024. The unanimous first-team All-American two-way start became the only player ever in the 135 years of the Walter Camp All-American team to be named a First-Team All-American on both offense and defense. The individual recognition for Hunter and Sanders was great, but they fell just short of their team goal of competing for a conference title. So surely, with a “meaningless” Alamo Bowl game on the schedule, Sanders and Hunter would forgo this last game to protect themselves for the NFL draft, right?
Colorado Insured Best Players Played In Alamo Bowl
Colorado hasn’t won a bowl game in 20 years. Coach Sanders, in conjunction with his athletic department, wanted to make sure this team finished out the season strong. As a result, Colorado secured unprecedented liability insurance coverage for its roster. “We happen to have two players that are probably gonna be the first two picks of the NFL draft,” Sanders said. “I think we all know who those two are, and they have received I think the highest number of coverage that has ever been covered in college football.”
Colorado athletic director Rick George would confirm Sanders’ statement. The Colorado athletic department also stated that it worked successfully with multiple insurance providers to ensure disability insurance offers were available for the entire team at the Alamo Bowl. With the entire Colorado team playing in this game, will their offense which averaged almost 35 points a game roll easily to a 10th victory?
BYU Turnaround Takes Back Seat To Nobody
Not if BYU’s defense has anything to say about it. The Cougars own the conference’s best defense, allowing just 20.08 points (18th best nationally) and under 318 yards of total offense per game. So how does BYU’s defense do it? One of the anchors of this defense is linebacker Isaiah Glasker. He leads the Big 12 in tackles for loss with 14. But the thing this defense does best is create turnovers. They had a conference-leading 20 interceptions as well as recovering seven of the nine fumbles they forced. BYU’s defense was also formidable in 2023, so what has been the biggest difference in causing a five-win improvement in 2024?
The answer: Kalani Sataki has gotten improved play from the quarterback position. Senior quarterback Jake Retzlaff has provided plenty of exciting moments for the Cougars this season. One of just a handful of Jewish students at BYU, Retzlaff has demonstrated he can run hot and cold within the flow of a game. His completion percentage is just under 58%, which ranks 12 out of 16 in the conference. Retzlaff threw for 20 touchdown passes this season as well as 10 interceptions. But Retzlaff had a knack for extending the play with his legs. He rushed the ball 93 teams for 388 yards and six touchdowns. For the Alamo Bowl, he will have both of his prolific wide receivers. Chase Roberts and Darius Lassiter each caught over 40 passes for over 650 yards and four touchdowns this season.
Alamo Bowl Prediction
To ensure everyone wins their local trivia challenge, BYU has previously faced off against a Heisman winner three times in the year the player won the award. The bad news for the Cougars is they are 0-3 in those games. The portal hasn’t affected either program particularly hard. But BYU does have two defensive starters in the portal, so any losses from their strongest unit are a concern. In what hopes to be a trend with providing financial protections in non-playoff bowl games, a fully intact Colorado team will take the field at the Alamo Bowl ready to show out. Expect Colorado to control this game throughout and hit the double-digit win mark for the first time since 2016.
Colorado 35, BYU 24
The post Alamo Bowl: Alternate Big 12 Championship With BYU And Colorado appeared first on Last Word on College Football.