Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, among the highly touted prospects of the 2025 NFL Draft, are about to play their last college football season. Per CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson’s early 2025 mock draft, the Buffs QB is No. 1 overall while the two-way star snatches the second spot. So, their performance this year will deeply impact their draft stocks and determine their NFL future.

Deion Sanders suffered a big portal blow this offseason, with over 40 players departing as they transitioned to the Big 12. Given this situation and the pressure of solid performance on both Sanders and Hunter, they will give it their all this season, raising the expectations of both fans and analysts. 

This analyst believes Colorado could make it to the Big 12 championship game

Joel Klatt from FOX Sports believes that Colorado could prepare for the Big 12 championship game. On3 recently posted his statement on X: “There’s a chance that Colorado is competing to go to the Big 12 Championship game.” But for everything, there’s a catch and Klatt also laid down a condition that might propel the Buffs to go where they want this season. 

Speaking with Colin Cowherd on The Herd, Klatt added, “There is a scenario where if Shedeur Sanders is healthy, and they maintain some of that health with guys in the outside, Travis Hunter, who I think is one of if not the best overall player in college football, there’s a chance that Colorado’s competing to go to the Big 12 Championship Game.” Last season, Sanders faced a challenging time, becoming the only QB to get sacked 52 times. Hunter, meanwhile, also missed three games due to a lacerated liver in Week 3 which affected the team’s performance, creating the foundation for the losing streak. But will this year be any different?

Deion involves the military

As far as differences go, this offseason is a stark contrast to last year when Deion Sanders was breaking into his new role in Colorado. This year, Coach Prime is ready to win by any means and his training methods show. He introduced training drills that were on a whole new level by bringing the help of both the Marines and the Navy on separate occasions to impart the rigorous exercises to strengthen and toughen the Buffs. 

A lot of players have left Colorado, but the ones that remain have a winning mindset, which is one of the first steps toward accomplishing great things.

So, now the question remains — Will the Buffs be able to change their history and make a conference championship game appearance? If they do, they’ll just be 60 minutes away from the playoffs. We’ll just have to wait and watch when they play their first game on August 29 against North Dakota State.