In a recent list from 247Sports’ Brad Crawford, two Big 12 teams earned some praise with headlines that would drastically shake up the College Football Playoff.
Crawford logged a total of 10 predictions that would impact the CFP, two of which centered on Kansas and Colorado.
KANSAS WINS THE BIG 12
“Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and Utah seem to be the ‘Big 3’ relating to Big 12 projected champions,” Crawford said. “There is no unanimous choice in a wide-open league, but the Wildcats, Cowboys, and Utes have garnered the most respect for obvious reasons. That said, if Jalon Daniels is healthy and doesn’t re-aggravate a back injury that sidelined him, the Jayhawks are going to have a chance to make real noise. They don’t have to play a ranked opponent, or at least one in the preseason top 25, until Week 8 when they travel to Kansas State — and don’t have to face Oklahoma State, Utah, or Arizona in league play.”
COLORADO WINS NINE GAMES
“Deion Sanders believes it can happen,” Crawford said. “Shedeur Sanders is confident. Travis Hunter is backing his teammates. But does anyone outside of Boulder realistically think the Buffaloes have a shot at nine wins in Coach Prime’s second campaign, his first in the Big 12? Colorado could face as many as five ranked opponents, but if the Buffaloes can get hot early and establish momentum they weren’t able to withstand a season ago, perhaps there’s a path to nine.”
The two realities above would shake up the college football playoff and the Big 12 title race, with both Kansas and Colorado fighting to prove their worth. Kansas enters the season with legitimate Big 12 Championship aspirations if it can keep its star quarterback on the field. Colorado will have to prove a lot in 2024 after an underwhelming season in Sanders’ first year in Boulder, but with names like Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, anything is possible.
Both schools will have an opportunity to make their mark on the CFP when the season kicks off on Thursday, August 29th.
