The No. 23 Colorado Buffaloes (9-3) will square off with the No. 17 BYU Cougars (10-2) in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Saturday. Both sides exceeded outside expectations this season in the chaotic Big 12 Conference and just missed out on a title opportunity, setting the stage for what's essentially a third-place game.

In an era when many top college football players who are about to turn pro opt out of playing in bowl games, it was somewhat surprising when Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders insisted that his two biggest stars — Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders — would play in the Alamo Bowl against BYU on Dec.

Conference foes No. 17 BYU and No. 23 Colorado will square off on Saturday night in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. The Cougars (10-2) and Buffaloes (9-3) once had their sights set on a Big 12 Conference championship game appearance and a berth in the College Football Playoff.