Strike 3: The Colorado Buffaloes are in and the Colorado State Rams are on the doorstep, so it’s not too early to start thinking about the upcoming Bowl season. Oddly enough, this is the first season in seven years (not counting the abbreviated COVID year) that Air Force won’t be going bowling.

CU last played in a bowl game in 2020, when Karl Dorrell worked some magic during that COVID season and got CU to the Alamo Bowl, where they lost to Oklahoma State (they’ll get a shot at revenge for that game the day after Thanksgiving.) But now that Deion Sanders has his team bowl eligible, who would we like to see them play during the Christmas holiday break?

The Big 12 figures to get two, and perhaps three teams into the 12-team field for the College Football Playoff. As things stand, BYU and Iowa State, who figure to be the two teams playing for the league title, would likely be in, along with maybe a one-loss Kansas State. No Big 12 team with two losses is getting into that field.

The Big 12 has six other guaranteed bowl slots, including games against teams from the Big Ten (Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix), the SEC (the Liberty Bowl in Memphis) the ACC (Pop Tarts Bowl in Orlando) and two against (probably) their former Pac-12 mates, the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio and the Independence Bowl in Shreveport. The top non-playoff spot for the conference is the Texas Bowl in Houston against an SEC foe. That would be ideal for CU if they can run the table.

Purely from an entertainment standpoint, it would be something special to see the Buffs go against ACC member Pittsburgh in Orlando. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi and Deion don’t exactly see eye-to-eye, and fireworks would be all but guaranteed. It would also be fun to see the Buffs go up against an SEC foe like say, I dunno, Oklahoma maybe? With Nebraska off the table as a possible bowl opponent this season, any other team with a history against CU would be must-see TV. USC maybe?

Also, it’s probably good to keep in mind that CU will most likely not have Shedeur Sanders or Travis Hunter in the Bowl game. Odds are both will skip the bowl to prep for the NFL Draft, the way most top prospects do these days. That shouldn’t take the shine off any Bowl match up the Buff faithful can (finally) attend.

Then there are the CSU Rams, who with four winnable games left on the slate would have to lose all of them to miss the postseason. The Mountain West title game remains in play for CSU, but only Boise State (with their lone loss being against top-ranked Oregon) coming out of that game with one loss would have a shot at the playoff. So for the Rams, the options are these: The LA Bowl, the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, the Hawaii Bowl, the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, the Arizona Bowl in Tucson, or perhaps one of the Group of Five at-large spots in the Frisco Bowl or the Boca Raton Bowl. Boise in December aside, those are some nice destinations.

The Rams haven’t been bowling since 2017. They’ll accept whatever they can get.

CSU doesn’t have much of a rivalry history outside of the MW and CU, so it’s sort of hard to pinpoint an opponent you’d want to see them play. But given the impending move to the Pac-12, any shot at a Power Four opponent (which could conceivably happen in the LA Bowl) would be welcomed. Most likely however, it will be a game against a team from Conference USA or the Mid-American conference. That would present a chance for a bowl victory for Jay Norvell and the CSU faithful.

Wherever they go and whomever they play, it will be fun to finally have the state’s two marquee programs going bowling again.