After Saturday's Big 12 chaos, Colorado and Deion Sanders have a playoff shot

Just when you thought things couldn't get any crazier in the Big 12, Iowa State and Kansas State both lost on Saturday, paving the way for Deion Sanders and Colorado to play for a conference title with a playoff spot is to be awarded.

As we've seen throughout the 2024 season, the Big 12 Conference has been one of the hardest to predict based on on-field results. Just when you thought Iowa State and BYU were on a collision course, all hell broke loose in the conference on Saturday.

Deion Sanders and Colorado needed some help if they wanted to compete for a conference title and possibly a spot in the College Football Playoff, as they currently sit at 6-2 on the season. Well, that's exactly what happened on Saturday when Iowa State lost to Texas Tech and Kansas State lost on the road in Houston.

So now a scenario is brewing in Boulder that could lead to the Buffaloes securing a spot in the Big 12 Championship, with a playoff spot also on the line. Currently BYU is the only undefeated team in conference play and there is a logjam for 2nd-4th place and Coach Prime has his team in the perfect spot.

How does Colorado play for the Big 12 title and the College Football Playoff?

The scenario looks like this if Colorado wins its remaining games this season. Right now, Iowa State and Colorado are technically tied for second place, but the Cyclones would advance in the tiebreaker scenario if they won. But the chaos equation comes at the end of the regular season.

Iowa State and Kansas State will face off in the regular season finale on November 30th, and there is a lot at stake. The Cyclones still have to play Kansas, Cincinnati and Utah before playing the Wildcats, which could lead to chaos.

BOULDER, Colo. – Travis Hunter #12 of the Colorado Buffaloes celebrates after his touchdown in the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Folsom Field on October 26, 2024. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

If Colorado wins and Iowa State loses another game, the Buffaloes would be in the Big 12 title game. Deion Sanders' team still has to face Texas Tech, Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State to complete conference play, and that's all winnable games for this team.

The Buffs' loss to Kansas State a few weeks ago certainly hurt them in the tiebreaker scenario, but in the end they may not need it. For Coach Prime's team, the simplest scenario is a BYU-Colorado win, then a Kansas State win over Iowa State in the season finale, which would put the Cougars and Buffaloes playing for a conference title and a playoff spot.

After all the talk of this Deion Sanders-led team folding after the loss to Nebraska in September, Colorado is now in the running for a playoff spot.

The 2024 season did not disappoint, and Colorado's chance to play for a spot in the College Football Playoff would be icing on the cake after a wild few months in the Big 12.