Deion Sanders' Buffs to wrap spiraling season at Kansas State
- Harrison Simeon
- 14 hours ago
- 3 min read
Do we have to?
That's the thought many Colorado Buffaloes are fighting with one game left in an anemic 2025 season. Before them sit the Kansas State Wildcats, another frustrated group but one still fighting for bowl eligibility.
Colorado (3-8, 1-6 Big 12) travels to what's forecast as a rainy Manhattan, Kansas, for the matchup. KSU (5-6, 4-4 Big 12) is 2-1 at home against conference foes, with the lone loss coming to Texas Tech, a likely College Football Playoff team.
It's the end of year three for coach Deion Sanders at CU, and it won't bring much nostalgia. The Buffs hold one measly Big 12 win and have lost their last four games, as talent departures last offseason proved insurmountable for troubled newcomers and scattered coaching.
To avoid a near-identical finish and worse record than 2023, Colorado must see life from less-than-ideal sources. With not much to play for but pride, Sanders will sit freshman quarterback Julian Lewis, exercising his redshirt after two encouraging starts.
Instead, Saturday will be Kaidon Salter's last rodeo at the college level.
Many expected the Liberty Flames transfer to thrive in Boulder, but his style never aligned with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. Salter's indecision out of structure, paired with inadequacy under pressure, prescribed Advil for much of CU's season.
Still, he'll get a shot to end his tenure on top. K-State's defense ranks in the Big 12's bottom half against both run and pass, so Salter's dual-threat traits could lead to a fit final act.
And while against the conference's highest-scoring offenses, the Wildcats have surrendered 43 or more points in two of their last three games. Colorado has a strong opportunity to invigorate its weapons for next season as the transfer portal looms.
KSU's offense has been inconsistent, but when it rolls, it rolls. Last Saturday, sophomore running back Joe Jackson nearly upset No. 13 Utah by himself with a program-record 293 rushing yards. Even in defeat, Jackson's performance became must-see TV for Colorado's putrid run defense.
"They ran the heck out of the football last week," Sanders told reporters Tuesday. "They take the understanding and the personality of their coach, and they compete ... They definitely have a bowl [they're] riding on, and we're trying to play spoiler this week."
Razor-thin margins separate coach Chris Klieman's squad from its preseason expectations as a Big 12 contender. Five of K-State's six losses came within one possession, three by a field goal or less. Quarterback Avery Johnson has been solid but inadequate in the biggest moments.
Several CU defeats have followed the same fate, as just a few more seized opportunities could have made this weekend a bout of much higher stakes. Rather, it serves as the last time for many players and coaches to suit up as Buffs and add more consistent lines to their résumés.
But a future core gleams for Colorado to build around. Fans believe in Lewis, left tackle Jordan Seaton, wide receivers Omarion Miller and Joseph Williams, defensive linemen London Merritt and Brandon Davis-Swain and safety Tawfiq Byard, many of whom can stoke that optimism this Saturday.
Plus, it's always fun to play the villain. CU could flip the script on a program that dimmed its Big 12 title hopes last year through a close win in Boulder.
"There's no give-up on the team," wide receiver/cornerback Isaiah Hardge said. "I still know and feel like the team is still fighting to get through this last game, which is away, so everybody's bought in and wants to get this win on the road."
Kickoff from Manhattan is set for 10:00 a.m. MT on FOX Sports 1.