Provo • Sione Po’uha knew something wasn’t right.After a meeting in a hotel ballroom, bleary-eyed from BYU’s cross-country trek to West Virginia, the BYU defensive line coach was working the phones. Cougar head coach Kalani Sitake had instructed Po’uha and the rest of the coaching staff to FaceTime their recruits.

The No. 23 Colorado Buffaloes (9-3) will square off with the No. 17 BYU Cougars (10-2) in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Saturday. Both sides exceeded outside expectations this season in the chaotic Big 12 Conference and just missed out on a title opportunity, setting the stage for what's essentially a third-place game.

In an era when many top college football players who are about to turn pro opt out of playing in bowl games, it was somewhat surprising when Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders insisted that his two biggest stars — Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders — would play in the Alamo Bowl against BYU on Dec.