BOULDER — CU Buffs fans might want to start planning a trip to Texas for bowl season. Deion Sanders and the University of Colorado Buffaloes football team were announced as one of four finalists for the Valero Alamo Bowl this week.
It’s a strange year for the Valero Alamo Bowl, and many other bowl games, after the Pac-12 almost dissolved last year following the eastern departure of the University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles to the Big Ten Conference, leading to a seismic shift of college football conference realignment.
Schools like Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah ended up in the Big 12.
Bowl agreements typically come from two pools of teams from two conferences, which the host bowl will then select and invite from.
The Alamo Bowl, which takes place Dec. 28 in San Antonio, Texas, has the first choice of bowl eligible teams from the Big 12 and the Pac-12/former Pac-12 after the College Football Playoff field is selected.
Because of last year’s conference changes and much of the remaining Pac-12 teams ending up in the Big 12, the Alamo Bowl is set to feature two current Big 12 teams going against each other.
The Big 12 opponent, which will be the visiting team, will be either #16 Iowa State (10-2) or #18 BYU (10-2).
The Pac-12/former Pac-12 opponent, this year’s home team, will be either #15 Arizona State (10-2) or #23 Colorado (9-3).
Iowa State and Arizona State will face off for the Big 12 Championship Game Saturday in Arlington, Texas. The winner is guaranteed a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff field.
But even if Arizona State loses that matchup, despite being ranked higher, they won’t automatically slide into that home team slot for the Alamo Bowl.
Alamo Bowl representatives confirmed a number of factors will be considered in determining who they invite between Arizona State and Colorado should both remain available following Saturday’s game.
The official announcement will come Sunday, Dec. 8 around 1:30 p.m. MST on the Alamo Bowl website and social media.
The Alamo Bowl typically entails a high-ranking matchup, with an average CFP ranking of #16, according to Alamo Bowl officials.
These games also featured an average attendance of 60,120 fans, which is 93% of the Alamodome’s total capacity, and garnered over 5.1 million ESPN viewers.
This year’s game will be played Saturday, Dec. 28 at 5:30 p.m.
Coach Deion Sanders led the Buffs to an exciting 9-3 finish this season after taking over the team last season. Two years ago, the Buffs won just one game.
The Buffs were in the hunt for the Big 12 championship until they lost on the road to a surprise Kansas squad that upset all top three Big 12 teams, with BYU and Iowa State upsets in the weeks leading up to Colorado’s loss.
Colorado needed some help in the final week of regular season play to have a shot at the championship, and despite winning their finale 52-0 against the lowly Oklahoma State Cowboys, they ultimately fell short of the miracle bid when BYU, Iowa State and Arizona State all won.
Sanders has previously said that despite not playing in a championship or playoff game, he expected his star players, including his son and quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman-hopeful Travis Hunter, to play in their bowl game.
Sanders and Hunter were named the Big 12 offensive and defensive players of the year, respectively, on Thursday by the Big 12 Conference.
