Deion Sanders, Colorado Move Up In Week 13 AP College Football Poll After Utah Win

Following a dominant win over Utah on Saturday, the Colorado Buffaloes achieved their highest ranking of the season in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll on Sunday.

Colorado moved up from No. 18 to No. 16 in the latest poll by virtue of a 49-24 home victory over the Utes. Head coach Deion Sanders' team improved to 8-2 overall this season and 6-1 in Big 12 play.

The Buffs were No. 17 in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings released last week, and they figure to move up in those rankings as well when they are announced Tuesday.

Colorado was 4-2 through its first six games after losses to Nebraska and Kansas State, but the Buffaloes now find themselves on a four-game winning streak with each victory being by at least 11 points.

During that stretch, two-way superstar Travis Hunter has cemented himself as the Heisman Trophy favorite, and he bolstered his case against Utah, recording five catches for 55 yards, scoring a rushing touchdown and reeling in an interception.

Now, Hunter has 74 receptions for 911 yards and nine touchdowns as a wide receiver, and 24 tackles, three interceptions and eight passes defended as a cornerback on the season.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders has also thrived, completing 72.9 percent of his passes for 3,222 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while also rushing for four scores.

After Coach Prime turned things around quickly at FCS Jackson State, expectations were sky-high when he arrived at Colorado last season.

Sanders brought Hunter and his son, Shedeur, with him from Jackson State, and the Buffaloes were the talk of college football through the first month of the 2023 campaign.

However, after a 3-0 start, Colorado won only one more game the rest of the season and finished with a 4-8 mark.

Still, it represented a significant improvement from the previous season when the Buffaloes went 1-11, and there was finally hope for the future with Coach Prime at the helm.

After beating Utah, Colorado put its destiny into its own hands in terms of qualifying for the Big 12 Championship Game, and things got even better for the Buffs during the late-night slate on Saturday.

Previously undefeated BYU lost to Kansas, meaning Colorado is now tied with BYU for first place in the Big 12 at 6-1.

If Colorado can beat Kansas and Oklahoma State over the next two weeks, it will play in the Big 12 Championship Game for the first time since 2005, and a win would clinch the Buffaloes a spot in the College Football Playoff.