BYU vs. Colorado: Alamo Bowl Game Day Preview Plus Score Prediction
Dec 28, 2024, 12:14 AM
BYU football running back LJ Martin will be a player to watch in the 2024 Alamo Bowl matchup vs Colorado. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO – BYU vs Colorado is one of the top non-College Football Playoff bowl games this season.
The two Big 12 programs are squaring off in the Alamo Bowl inside the Alamodome.
It’s a Top 25 matchup, with both teams looking to cap off their 2024 seasons on a high note.
No. 17 BYU enters the Alamo Bowl with a 10-2 overall record and is looking for its first 11-win season since 2020.
No. 23 Colorado is playing for a 10th win, two years after being a one-win team in 2022.
Saturday will be the 13th meeting between the bordering state programs. Colorado leads the series 3-8-1. However, BYU has won the last two meetings, in the 1988 Freedom Bowl and in Boulder in 1981.
BYU and Colorado are scheduled to meet in 2025 in Boulder for a regular season Big 12 Conference game.
No. 17 BYU vs. No. 23 Colorado
Location: Alamodome
Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. (MST)
TV: ABC
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM) — Extended pregame begins at Noon
Three Game Day Thoughts
1. Best bowl matchup outside of the CFP
The Bowl Season has produced some outstanding games. The past week has seen multiple overtime thrillers.
However, heading into a game, none are bigger outside the College Football Playoff than the Top 25 showdown between BYU and Colorado.
Alamo Bowl gonna Alamo Bowl again.#ValeroAlamoBowl pic.twitter.com/ARSrxL7QWd
— Valero Alamo Bowl (@valeroalamobowl) December 17, 2024
This game has the potential to draw a massive television audience. It’s a big game for both programs.
2. The star power of Colorado shines bright
This week, the big storyline in San Antonio is that Colorado’s stars are playing in the Alamo Bowl.
Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders are not tapping out; they are finishing what they started by adding another chapter to their storied careers, which have reshaped the trajectory of Colorado football.
Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders on BYU’s defense heading into the Alamo Bowl. pic.twitter.com/N8ou0aTL9I
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 26, 2024
BYU has not faced elite talent like the Buffs have on their roster.
The Cougars have faced a tough schedule this season. But Sanders is the best quarterback they will face this year, and Hunter is the best player in college football.
Seeing how BYU matches up against Sanders and Hunter will be an area to watch.
When Sanders is on the field, BYU’s pass defense will look to pick him off. The Cougars boast the nation’s No. 1 defense for total interceptions with 20.
Alamo Bowl Extended Pregame coverage on gameday begins at Noon on @kslnewsradio from San Antonio.
Guests include:
– BYU AD Tom Holmoe
– Brian Santiago
– QB Jake Retzlaff
– OC Aaron Roderick
– DC Jay Hill pic.twitter.com/M7cSJC7eGs— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 27, 2024
3. Establish the run game
In BYU’s last game of the regular season, they gave sophomore running back LJ Martin 22 carries. The absence of Hinckley Folau Ropati on this week’s depth chart creates another opportunity for the budding star Martin to get a big workload against Colorado.
Colorado’s defensive front allows 149 yards rushing per game. BYU’s offensive line, which is without Brayden Keim and former Colorado Buffalo Isaiah Jatta, will need to be at its best to get Martin rolling against a much improved Buffs defense.
A big game for Martin could springboard him into the spotlight in the Big 12 for 2025 and beyond.
Two BYU vs Colorado Questions
1. Will BYU’s offense return to early season form with Jake Retzlaff healthy again?
When asked by KSL Sports about the injuries Jake Retzlaff suffered in November during the win over Utah, BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick acknowledged that Retzlaff was not at full strength in the final stretch of the regular season.
He pointed to the Kansas game, where Retzlaff had trouble driving off his back foot to deliver the ball.
BYU’s offense struggled down the stretch in the final four games of the regular season.
But now Retzlaff feels 100% and is back to full strength. Does that mean BYU’s offense will be the potent attack that they were early in the season? They will need to put some points as Colorado comes into the game, averaging 34.5 points per game.
2. Which team sets the tone with physicality?
Both teams come into this matchup motivated to end the season on a high note. Because of the motivation, it feels like a game that will be physical, as we see in regular season Big 12 games.
The team that sets the tone in physicality will be better positioned to get off to a fast start.
One BYU vs Colorado Score Prediction
I predict this will be a close game that goes down to the wire. Both teams are evenly matched.
BYU’s offense has not played well the past month. However, if it can return to its early-season form, BYU can pull off the upset.
I’ll call for QB Jake Retzlaff to play well without any turnovers and LJ Martin to perform well on the ground. Those two put BYU in a position to set up a late fourth-quarter kick for Will Ferrin, who adds another game-winner to his resume.
Score prediction: BYU 31, Colorado 30
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
