Not many college football experts think Colorado will be in the hunt for the Big 12 Conference title, let alone have a chance to make the College Football Playoff.
The reason why there’s still a glimmer of hope for the Buffaloes rests with one player who ESPN identified as one of the 30 most important players in the race to make the first 12-team CFP in 2024 — junior cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter.
ESPN put Hunter in its’ “pure transcendence potential” category of players regarding the impact they could have this season.
“With an extra year of experience under his belt, he could take his game to a completely different place,” wrote ESPN’s Bill Connelly. “And while I personally doubt that the Buffaloes have enough pieces to challenge in the Big 12, they'll have the best player in just about every game they play.”
Hunter was a consensus All-American and won the Paul Hornung Award in 2023 as the nation’s most versatile player in his first season on the FBS level. The former five-star recruit out of Collins Hill (Ga.) High School played his first season at Jackson State, an FCS program, where he was the SWAC Freshman of the Year in 2022.
Colorado opens the season on Aug. 31 at home against North Dakota State.
Wow! Travis Hunter. That is as elite as it gets as a DB.
— Football Scout 365™️ (@DraftDay365) October 29, 2023
He is able to bait the QB into this throw and has the elite athleticism to make this play.
pic.twitter.com/gVrkkjF8mv
