Colorado’s hopes of reaching the Big 12 title game went down to the final minutes of the regular season.
Houston nearly came through for the Buffaloes, but couldn’t get out of its own way. And, in the end, CU will be home next weekend.
The 25th-ranked Buffs (9-3, 7-2 Big 12) finished the regular season in a four-way tie for first place, but No. 16 Arizona State (10-2, 7-2) and No. 18 Iowa State (10-2, 7-2) secured their spots for the conference title game to be played Dec. 7 in Arlington, Texas.
CU and No. 19 BYU (10-2, 7-2) will both sit home next week after losing out on tie-breakers.
After crushing Oklahoma State 52-0 on Friday, CU went into Saturday needing at least two other teams to come through for them.
Texas Tech routed West Virginia 52-15 early on Saturday, meaning the Buffs needed a BYU loss at home to Houston (4-8, 3-6) in the late game.
Despite a series of miscues, Houston was in the game all night and had the ball with a chance to take the lead in the final six minutes, but failed to convert on a fourth down – fumbling and losing 38 yards on the play. BYU tacked on a late score for a 30-18 victory.
Ironically, CU and BYU could wind up playing each other in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28 in San Antonio, Texas. Bowl game matchups will not be announced, however, until Dec. 8.
The Buffs had control of their own path to Arlington before a 37-21 loss to Kansas on Nov. 23.
“We had our chance to do it, and we didn’t handle our business,” CU safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig said after Friday’s win.
Losses by ASU and Iowa State on Saturday would have helped the Buffs, as well, but ASU routed rival Arizona 49-7 and Iowa State held on to defeat No. 24 Kansas State 29-21.
Knowing his team fumbled its opportunity, CU head coach Deion Sanders said Friday he wouldn’t spend his time scoreboard watching on Saturday.
“I’m proud of where we are and what we’ve accomplished,” he said. “I’m not one to go home and watch TV and wish somebody loses so we can go to the (Big 12 title) game. I don’t get down like that. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I may go to Vail or Breckenridge and get on the snowmobiles or whatever. There’s a lot of time on my hands.”
