Mark your calendars. The Super Bowl may signal the end of football season this weekend, but Wyomingites have an intriguing matchup to look forward to next season.
On Sept. 20, the Wyoming Cowboys head south to Boulder, Colorado, to play the Colorado Buffaloes, which have suddenly become one of the most watched and talked-about college football teams in America.
In just two seasons, Buffs Head Coach Deion Sanders, aka “Coach Prime,” has resurrected a dreadful Colorado program that had won one single game in 2022 and turned it into a Top 25 program that was on national television every game last year.
Overnight, the Buffs have become a national sensation thanks to the brash aura of Sanders and a must-watch, circus atmosphere that surrounds the program with countless celebrities, star athletes and rap stars often lining the sidelines.
Prime has recruited other decorated stars to his staff including NFL Hall of Fame defensive tackle Warren Sapp as a defensive coach, and on Thursday the program announced the hiring of Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk as the team’s new running backs coach.
One thing the Buffs won’t have returning next season are its All America pitch-and-catch duo of quarterback Shedeur Sanders and do-it-all Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, who both will be selected in the NFL draft this April.
Young Stars
But that shouldn’t lower the intrigue of the fall matchup. The Buffs are expected to start freshman QB Julian Lewis, considered by multiple recruiting services as the No. 2 overall freshman signing in the country.
The Cowboys are bringing an intriguing, young team of their own, as well as their own young rising prospect at quarterback – Kaden Anderson, a redshirt sophomore from Southlake, Texas, who at 6’4” and 221 pounds gives the Pokes an imposing dual threat looking to build on last season. In his first start against New Mexico last year, Anderson put up impressive numbers, completing 20 of 29 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns.
The matchup also highlights two coaches, who are fairly new to their programs. Sanders will be coming up on his third year at CU after a 9-4 season, which earned the Buffs a spot in the Alamo Bowl.
“When you get past all the showmanship and stuff, Sanders is a pretty old-school coach who demands that players do the right things so I think a lot of guys want to play for him,” said Cody Tucker, a Cheyenne native and the founder and editor of 7220Sports.com, a sports-news website that covers the Cowboys. “We saw them go from absolutely nothing to the national conversation, and it wasn’t because of Deion. It was because they’re winning.”
On the other side of the field will be Cowboys Coach Jay Sawvel, who took the reins of the Cowboys last season after Craig Bohl’s retirement. The team went 3-9 behind Sawvel in what was seen as a learning year for many young players on the roster including Anderson.
Regional Intrigue
Sawvel told Cowboy State Daily that he looks forward to the matchup, especially because it brings more attention to the region. Boulder is just 111 miles away from Laramie, an easy road trip for UW fans that might want to attend the game in person.
“I think the regional games are great and the fact that there’s name recognition from fans on both sides of the border,” Sawvel said. “It’s a close enough location that most of our fans can go to those type of games, I think that makes it great, too. And it’s games played within the Mountain West region of the country. You know, just like us playing CU, Utah coming here. These are games that create regional exposure and create a high level of regional interest and they’re exciting for the fans.”
Tucker agreed that the proximity between the two programs is what makes the game most intriguing, expanding the visibility of UW in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region.
“It’s Deion Sanders, and all that but I think the best part about it is that we’re playing a regional team, and a lot of Wyoming fans can actually make that trip down to Boulder,” Tucker said. “I wish they were on the schedule more often than they are.”
The Cowboys last played the Buffs in Boulder in 2009, losing 24-0. Overall, CU has a 24-2-1 record against UW. They first matched up in 1900. The Buffs have won the last three games between the two schools with all three taking place in Boulder.
“It’s 100 miles away,” Tucker said. “That’s a big chance for a lot of Wyoming fans to be there and be in the stands.”
Justin George can be reached at justin@cowboystatedaily.com.
