Colorado Buffaloes Face Deion Sanders' Alma Mater In Recent Bowl Game Prediction

Current Buffs coach Deion Sanders played his final NFL season in 2005, a year many expected to be the Hall of Fame cornerback's last in the cultural zeitgeist. No one could have imagined that two decades later, "Prime Time" became "Coach Prime" and now has Colorado on a trajectory back to its glory days.

After a 9-4 record that included the Alamo Bowl last season, On3's Brett McMurphy projects that another postseason contest is in store for Sanders and the Buffs: The Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

That event is tabbed against a foe that Sanders knows better than any in the nation, other than Colorado or perhaps the Jackson State Tigers: the Florida State Seminoles. Sanders rose to fame at the university with three years of spectacular play on the gridiron. In 1989, the Atlanta Falcons drafted him No. 5 overall.

Sponsored by Kellogg's since 2019, the Sun Bowl has seen a variety of elite Power Four matchups over the years. The Louisville Cardinals edged the Washington Huskies in 2024's event, which has long pitted ACC and Pac-12 schools against each other.

For the final time, former Pac-12 schools like Colorado would still be tabbed for the event. The Buffs experienced an obscure matchup at the Alamo, facing a Big 12 opponent in the BYU Cougars despite the teams playing in the same conference.

Florida State has played the Sun Bowl three times in its 90-year history, losing all three occasions in 1954, 1966 and 2019. Colorado has never competed in the event held on the UTEP Miners' home turf.

Emerging from one of its most disappointing seasons in recent memory, coach Mike Norvell aims to lead FSU back to national relevance. The Seminoles were undefeated ACC champions in 2023 but controversially snubbed from the College Football Playoffs in favor of the Alabama Crimson Tide, leading to a bowl game beatdown, program meltdown and a 2-10 record one year later.

Norvell appeared to have FSU on the right track and is a lauded offensive mind, so it's hard to say that last season's disaster is indicative of the future. The 'Noles have flexed their recruiting muscles and are in one of the country's most volatile conferences, so getting back to bowl game contention should be expected.

Meanwhile, Colorado will grapple with replacing its transformational duo of wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders on the path back to a bowl. Six wins may be tougher to find as well, with the Big 12's strongest sides in BYU, Arizona State and Iowa State all on the 2025 slate.

After 20 years of inconsistency, Coach Prime faces a daunting task not seen in Boulder: Build a consistent winner.