Sports
Colorado earns bowl eligibility in Deion Sanders’ second year with win over Cincinnati
Deion Sanders’ Colorado will be playing in the postseason. In Sanders’ second season as head coach after taking over the worst power-conference team in college football, the Buffaloes (6-2, 4-1 Big 12) are bowl eligible after beating Cincinnati 34-23.
Colorado hasn’t played in a bowl game since it went 4-2 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The program hasn’t won a bowl game since 2004, and this season will mark its third bowl appearance since 2007.
Sanders has made frequent references this year to 99-year-old Colorado superfan Peggy Coppom and his promise to get her to a bowl game this season. The Buffaloes are eyeing more than just a bowl, too. Colorado is one of just four Big 12 teams with one or fewer conference losses, leaving it in the mix for the Big 12 title and one of the automatic bids to the 12-team College Football Playoff reserved for the five highest-ranked conference champions.
“I know Peggy. She’s got expensive taste. She don’t just want a bowl. She wants a bowl bowl. And I ain’t talkin’ about Manute (Bol),” Sanders told ESPN during the Buffaloes’ win.
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Two-way star Travis Hunter re-entered the Heisman Trophy race with nine catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns on nine targets. He added four pass breakups and two tackles on defense, playing a total of 130 snaps. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders suffered a hip injury in the second half and received treatment on the sidelines but remained in the game, finishing 25 of 30 for 323 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
“It’s big for us because it’s big for the fans,” Shedeur Sanders said. “We’re not hitting our peak. We’re nowhere close.”
Under new defensive coordinator Rob Livingston, a first-time play caller, the Buffaloes have fashioned a respectable defense. They have also found a running game in recent weeks: last week’s win over Arizona (128 yards) and Saturday’s win (125 yards) were Colorado’s two most successful rushing performances of the season.
Sanders’ transfer-heavy approach to roster building has come under fire throughout his tenure, and the Buffaloes fell short of the postseason a year ago at 4-8 after a 3-0 start made them the biggest story in the sport. A year later, though, Sanders is seeing results.
Now, the Buffaloes have a chance to play into December. The last four games of the season — at Texas Tech, Utah, at Kansas and the home finale against Oklahoma State — will decide how high they climb.
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(Photo: Dustin Bradford / Getty Images)
Sports
High school basketball: Boys’ and girls’ scores from Wednesday, Dec. 17
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
BOYS
CITY SECTION
AMIT 59, Sun Valley Magnet 38
Bernstein 71, Contreras 26
Crenshaw 55, King/Drew 39
Fulton 50, Vaughn 48
Hollywood 104, Belmont 10
LA Hamilton 71, Downtown Magnets 69
MSAR 67, Valor Academy 56
MSCP 84, Larchmont Charter 25
Northridge Academy 59, VAAS 12
Orthopaedic 69, Animo Bunche 34
RFK Community 73, Jefferson 70
Royal 54, Mendez 52
View Park 55, Bell 48
Wilmington Banning 62, Elizabeth 26
SOUTHERN SECTION
Arroyo 54, South El Monte 50
Chadwick 91, Paramount 63
Damien 66, Aquinas 41
Downey 57, Workman 22
Edgewood 52, West Covina 43
Flintridge Prep 80, ISLA 15
Gabrielino 91, Mountain View 46
Garden Grove 58, Irvine University 56
Hemet 56, Valley View 55
Highland 68, Lancaster 34
Hillcrest 57, Orange Vista 56
Indian Springs 64, Citrus Valley 55
Laguna Beach 70, Costa Mesa 46
Lakeside 54, Canyon Springs 50
La Palma 69, Westminster 18
Maricopa 47, Laton 17
Moreno Valley 52, Arlington 42
North Torrance 75, Bellflower 30
Pasadena Marshal 75, El Monte 51
Peninsula 65, Redondo Union 63
Perris 63, Riverside North 62
Pilgrim 71, Westmark 39
Public Safety Academy 51, River Springs Charter 44
Quartz Hill 76, Antelope Valley 44
Redondo Union 76, Peninsula 18
Riverside King 61, Chaparral 55
Riverside Poly 54, Liberty 43
Samueli Academy 49, Bolsa Grande 48
San Fernando Academy 71, Summit View 19
Segerstrom 66, Loara 38
Sierra Vista 62, Covina 58
Temple City 51, El Rancho 46
Thousand Oaks 65, Shalhevet 38
Torrance 76, El Segundo 37
Vista del Lago 57, Heritage 51
INTERSECTIONAL
Dorsey 60, Lawndale 55
Grace 68, Panorama 34
LA Roosevelt 42, Alhambra 39
San Gabriel 50, Maywood CES 23
Westchester 48, Compton Centennial 36
GIRLS
CITY SECTION
AMIT 25, Sun Valley Magnet 20
Bernstein 56, Contreras 13
Cleveland 64, North Hollywood 24
Hollywood 63, Belmont 13
King/Drew 60, Crenshaw 12
Larchmont Charter 36, MSCP 33
MSAR 42, Valor Academy 29
Orthopaedic 28, Animo Bunche 5
Rancho Dominguez 31, Elizabeth 20
South East 51, Lakeview Charter 23
Washington 65, Fremont 10
SOUTHERN SECTION
Agoura 65, Simi Valley 38
Buena Park 78, Westminster 29
Citrus Valley 43, Indio 24
Covina 56, Garey 25
CSDR 71, Victor Valley 33
El Modena 37, Edison 29
Flintridge Prep 85, Westridge 9
Gabrielino 81, Mountain View 4
Hemet 51, Valley View 24
Jurupa Valley 29, Indian Springs 20
Knight 81, Littlerock 8
Lancaster 60, Highland 40
Laton 29, Maricopa 8
Liberty 59, Citrus Hill 28
Los Altos 59, Anaheim 42
Los Amigos 39, Saddleback 19
Mira Costa 54, West Torrance 50
Newbury Park 53, Oxnard Pacifica 34
Oxnard 50, Santa Paula 42
Quartz Hill 57, Antelope Valley 18
Rancho Verde 46, Perris 19
Ramona 56, Gahr 29
Rancho Christian 100, Heritage 41
Riverside North 47, Vista del Lago 34
Riverside King 63, Xaxier Prep 38
Riverside Poly 73, Paloma Valley 38
River Springs Charter 35, Public Safety Academy 15
San Gabriel 46, Edgewood 26
San Gabriel Academy 63, Compton Centennial 62
Savanna 52, Costa Mesa 38
South El Monte 24, Arroyo 21
Thousand Oaks 69, Shalhevet 39
Torrance 74, El Segundo 36
Upland 44, Rosemead 27
Woodbridge 48, Century 6
Yorba Linda 64, Placentia Valencia 44
Sports
Josh Allen reflects on growth he’s made since joining Bills and becoming expectant father
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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has had a terrific 2025.
He and his wife, actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld, got married in June and last week he announced the two were expecting their first child together. Not to mention, he started the year being awarded the NFL MVP trophy.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) passes against the New England Patriots during the second half of an NFL football game in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Allen expressed some appreciation for how he’s grown as a person since he arrived in Buffalo in 2018 as his life took him from a small town in California to Wyoming to the NFL and on the brink of leading a championship-starved city to a Super Bowl appearance.
“Yeah, I guess it’s like the evolution of life,” he said Wednesday. “I consider this place my home. It’s where I’ve done a lot of growing up. And it’s a place that I’ll raise a family. It’s really cool.”
As his work-life balance becomes more rigid, The Associated Press noted a curious comment he made in October during “Monday Night Football.” He was asked what Steinfeld has taught him during their relationship. He responded, “Maybe I am more than a football player.”
Allen confirmed to The Associated Press that Steinfeld’s pregnancy factored into his response.
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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen speaks at a news conference after an NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
“Overjoyed, absolutely overjoyed,” he said, while confirming that he knew he was going to be a dad before the ESPN interview occurred.
Allen is a three-time Pro Bowler and coming off an MVP season. While he’s done more than enough to warrant talk of back-to-back MVPs, Allen shook that notion off going into Week 16.
“I’m just trying to do my job, just trying to find a way to get in the playoffs here,” he said.
Beating the New England Patriots last week after being down 21 points was a good first step. Buffalo has had ups and downs all season long but the team seems to be hitting its stride now with four wins in their last five games.
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Buffalo will go up against the Cleveland Browns on the road on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sports
NFL Week 16 picks: Rams defeat Seahawks; Broncos edge Jaguars
Sunday, 10 a.m. TV: CBS, Paramount+.
Line: Bills by 10½. O/U: 41½.
After an amazing comeback against a really strong New England team last Sunday, the Bills are emboldened and Josh Allen is on an MVP pace. Cleveland relies on its stout defense, but that unit didn’t show up in Week 15 against Chicago, surrendering 31 points. Buffalo, which is 7-2 outside the division, wins this going away.
Pick: Bills 27, Browns 16
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