PROVO, Utah — Although it's not where BYU hoped to be playing just a few weeks ago, the Cougars have nailed down one of the more attractive bowl bids of the postseason.
BYU (10-2) will travel to San Antonio to take on "Coach Prime" Deion Sanders and his Colorado Buffaloes in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 28. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. MST on ABC.
Both teams are now members of the Big 12 Conference but weren't scheduled to play during the regular season.
While the matchup is certainly one of the most star-powered on paper, it may lose some of its shine in the coming days.
Despite recent assurances by Sanders that his son, quarterback Shadeur Sanders, and fellow star Travis Hunter will play in any bowl game the team was invited, both are expected to be top NFL Draft picks and could still opt out to focus on their pro futures. It's possible that a handful of BYU players will also skip the game.
Whoever plays, it will be the first bowl trip to San Antonio for BYU and the first meeting with Colorado since the schools last faced each other in 1988. The Buffaloes have a 7-3-1 all-time record against the Cougars.
“The Valero Alamo Bowl is one of the premier bowl games in the country, and we are excited to be selected to come to San Antonio for this nationally ranked matchup,” said BYU head coach Kalani Sitake in a statement.
Just a few weeks ago, BYU was undefeated and had its sights set on winning the Big 12 Conference title and securing a spot in the College Football Playoff. But back-to-back losses to Kansas and Arizona State crushed those hopes.
Late Saturday, BYU announced it had signed Sitake to what it called a "long-term" contract extension, but did not release details about the agreement.
