The 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl is finally here! On December 28, Deion Sanders-led Colorado Buffaloes will throw it down against Kalani Sitake’s BYU as two Rocky Mountain teams face each other for the first time in 36 years. Even though the Cougars and Buffaloes are currently in the same conference, realignment has allowed for this unusual bowl matchup. BYU asserts that the bid belongs to the Big 12, and Colorado will take the Pac-12’s allotted berth in the Alamo Bowl. So, as expected, excitement is off the roof, and so is Sanders’ confidence in himself and his opponent…

Both teams were part of a four-way tie for first place in the Big 12 this year but haven’t played each other since the Freedom Bowl in 1988.  For Coach Prime, it would be the perfect way to bid goodbye to his sons, who will be playing their last game under him at Colorado. While he will have one eye on leading his team to a first bowl since 2004, Sanders is chasing another piece of history.

Appearing in a press conference on December 8, Coach Prime talked extensively about the upcoming bowl game. For the unversed, Colorado’s last three appearances at the Alamo Bowl were blowout losses—they lost against the Wisconsin Badgers in 2002 by 31-28, the Oklahoma State Cowboys in 2016 by 38-8, and the Texas Longhorns in 2020 by 55-23. But Sanders isn’t letting the past affect him, while also expressing massive appreciation for Sitake.

“I’m elated…Playing against a wonderful storied university, BYU, is unbelievable. You talk about leadership, you talk about extension of [Coach Sitake] I’m looking at on the screen, who’s boasting about how much he’s going to eat and all that, but don’t get it twisted, he’s a darn good football coach, and he’s a leader of men, and he’s a God fearing man. So to see him and watch him, and to glean from him, and to get the opportunity to meet him at the Big 12 meetings, now to be able to compete against him, is unbelievable, and I’m so thankful that you’re affording me this opportunity,” the Buffs HC said.

In fact, Sanders’ belief in the BYU coach is so much that he didn’t even hesitate before bragging about breaking a major record!

“I hear that George Strait, as well as Texas A&M has the record for attendance,” began the 57-year-old. To give you some context, he was talking about country music icon George Strait, who drew 73,086 for a concert in 2013, setting the facility record. Moreover, in 2007, the game between Penn State and Texas A&M  set the Alamo Bowl attendance record when 66,166 watched Penn State take on Texas A&M.

“I’m pretty sure we’re going to break that [record], because I know what Coach [Sitake] is going to bring to the table, and I know how deep our fans come, so we’re going to sell this game out, expeditiously. So get ready to put a little tickets in the cut, because I’m going to ask you for that, because I help do that. We’re going to sell this thing out, and we’re going to have a wonderful time, and I can’t think of a better opponent.”

Breaking the attendance record for Alamo Bowl won’t be easy though. The last time the game topped the 65,000-seat attendance mark was the 2013 Alamo between Oregon and Texas. Since 1993, when the bowl was first launched, only games that featured Ohio State, Michigan, or an in-state university at the Alamodome have passed the 64,000-plus attendance mark. But both the Buffs and Cougars are two top teams and are likely to attract large crowds. The presence of the Buffs’ superstars will further boost Sanders’ hopes of breaking the attendance record.

There were some doubts that Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders may sit out the bowl game so as to not risk injury that could hurt their NFL Draft stock in April. But Coach Prime dismissed those concerns, saying their top players will be in action.

“We have a plethora of seniors that are pro-bound, and guess what? Every last one of them are going to play. We don’t tap out. We don’t sit out. It’s a blessing to play this wonderful game. Our kids are going to play,” he mentioned. Shedeur is a possible Heisman finalist and has already won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation’s top quarterback. Meanwhile, Travis Hunter is the leading Heisman candidate.

As for the Cougars, they will bring their own firepower to the occasion.

After an excellent 2024 season during which the Cougars finished 10-2 and claimed one of the top spots in the Big 12 conference, Sitake, who has been with BYU since 2016, just secured a long-term contract extension. According to reports, he receives a salary of about $3 million, which is commensurate with his important contributions to the program. 

While the Buffs may have more popular names on their side, BYU under Sitake has been nothing short of phenomenal. Tied for No. 1 nationally with 20 interceptions, the Cougars have three first-team All-Big 12 players. They have a bunch of players keen to prove themselves and who will be eager to get the better of Coach Prime and his much-talked-about Buffs.

“We are just super excited, honestly. They are a great team. We are super excited to go play in the Alamo Bowl and to get to play them. It is another opportunity to go play football, so we are all about it,” Tyler Batty said.

On the other hand, Sanders’ team has had a surprisingly successful 2024, moving from a 4-8 record the previous season to a 9-3 record in 2024. He will be looking for the perfect parting gift for his sons and fulfilling the promise he made to Colorado super fan, Ms. Pegggy, who would travel to the game by “private plane.”

Meanwhile, the respect shown by Sanders to Sitake is surely not one-sided, as BYU coach also publicly proclaimed his fondness for his contemporary!

Deion Sanders vs Kalani Sitake

Deion Sanders’ appreciation makes perfect sense in light of BYU’s current record. Sitake has a career record of 71 wins and 43 defeats (.623) over nine seasons. Additionally, three seasons with ten or more wins have resulted from his coaching, including a noteworthy 11-1 campaign in 2020 and a 10-3 campaign in 2021.

Conversely, Sitake stated, “I’ve known Deion and been able to interact with him, and I’m a big fan of his. It’s been fun to be able to watch him lead his team this year. We’ve had some crossover games, so we’ve been able to watch some films and see how they perform. We’ve been really impressed with what they do on the field. I love the way he leads his team.”

Notably, Sanders drastically changed the team’s roster after taking up coaching duties, adding 51 new scholarship players and keeping just nine from the previous campaign. That paid off in dividends which also helps us understand Sitake’s praise for Sanders.

As a result, this match will surely be a fierce yet constructive contest. But wait! In order to generate momentum for the 2025 season, Sitake said, “This is a great opportunity for us to progress as a program, get where we want to be, and make sure that we end the season right.“ 

The Buffs are still part of the Pac-12 legacy selection for bowl games, which is why CU will face off against a fellow Big 12 opponent in the game. Deion Sanders and his program have the chance to bring some much needed success to Colorado, but Sitake and BYU will be standing in their way.