Alamo Bowl live updates: Colorado vs. BYU Time, TV, Highlights

SAN ANTONIO − Tonight’s game between Colorado and BYU in the Alamo Bowl may be the most attractive college football bowl game not part of the College Football Playoff.

Count the reasons:

It’s a primetime Saturday night game on ABC.

It features the reigning Heisman Trophy winner from Colorado, Travis Hunter.

It also features flamboyant Colorado coach Deion Sanders and his son Shedeur, who might be the top quarterback selected in April’s NFL draft.

This will be their last match together in college – the Buffaloes (9-3) vs. The Cougars (10-2), two Big 12 Conference teams on opposite sides of the Rocky Mountains, have not played each other since the 1988 Freedom Bowl.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders ranks first nationally in completion percentage (74.2%) and will face a BYU defense that finished the regular season tied for first nationally in passes intercepted (20).

Like Shedeur, Hunter will also play the game under massive insurance to protect him if he gets injured. Because he plays offense and defense, Hunter’s injury risk is essentially doubled, adding to the drama tonight after so many other top NFL prospects chose not to play in bowl games to avoid any injury risk that could hurt their future earnings.

Will this bowl game be worth it for Hunter and Shedeur Sanders?

We’re figuring it out.

Stay tuned here for live updates, highlights and news:

Michael Westbrook, Kordell Stewart on stage

Thirty years after the Michigan miracle, former Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart and former Colorado wide receiver Michael Westbrook stood on the sideline together and chatted about two hours before kickoff at the Alamo Bowl.

They are arguably the best quarterback-receiver combination in Colorado, coming before Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. Westbrook caught the “Miracle” pass to beat Michigan as time expired in 1994. Westbrook was the No. 4 overall pick in the 1995 NFL draft. Stewart was selected as the no. 60 the same year. Both Shedeur Sanders and Hunter are projected to be top-10 NFL draft picks in April.

Why are two Big 12 teams playing in the Alamo Bowl?

That’s because of a college football conference realignment. The Alamo Bowl had contracts to take the first non-playoff teams from the Big 12 and Pac-12 conferences. But then the Pac-12 collapsed this year with 10 teams leaving for other leagues, including Colorado, which left to return to the Big 12.

Instead of reworking those contracts to reflect the new realignment, the Alamo Bowl will still select opponents from the same two 12-team pools: the 12 teams from the former Pac-12 (Colorado) and the 12 teams from the former Big 12 realignment (BYU). It will work this way again in 2025.

BYU did not play Colorado this year, but will play Colorado in Boulder in 2025.

BYU vs Colorado odds, line

The Colorado Buffaloes are favorites to defeat the BYU Cougars in Saturday’s college football game, according to BetMGM college football odds. Do you want to bet? Check out the best college football betting apps in 2024 offer the best NCAA football betting promotions and bonuses in 2024.

When is BYU-Colorado playing in the Alamo Bowl?

Kickoff is at 7:30 ET Saturday from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

How to watch the Alamo Bowl game with BYU vs. Colorado

The game will be broadcast on ABC. Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Taylor McGregor will call the game.

How to stream the BYU-Colorado game

The Cougars-Buffaloes game can be streamed on Fubo.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colorado vs. BYU Alamo Bowl live updates: Game time, TV, highlights