From 2021-22, Colorado was arguably the worst team in a power conference. The Buffs went 5-19 over that stretch, with an average margin of 27 points in the 19 losses. As the Karl Dorrell era went up in flames, Colorado’s defense fell apart. The Buffs gave up 40 points in 10 of their final 11 games in 2022. I watched too many of those games. Colorado was helpless in the trenches.

The defense didn’t create pressure and the backend suffered heavily as a result. In 2022, Colorado had the sixth-worst pass defense by efficiency, giving up 8.7 yards per play. The pass defense also ranked bottom-10 in completion percentage allowed, passer rating allowed, and touchdowns allowed. Per Game on Paper, Colorado ranked 125th out of 131 FBS teams in EPA per dropback faced.

Two years later, Colorado ranks 29th in the same metric.

These Buffs have 29 sacks in 9 games. The beef up front is seasoned, playing remarkably better, and allowing Travis Hunter to swallow up his responsibilities.

In Saturday’s road win over Texas Tech, Hunter was targeted 1 time all game, per PFF. He was charged with allowing just a single 5-yard reception. Hunter also had an interception that was wiped away by an offsides penalty on the Buffs.

He played a season-high 89 defensive snaps in the win. He was in coverage on 53 of those snaps.

One target.

Hunter has been in coverage for 288 snaps this season. He has been targeted only 27 times. Only once in the Buffs’ last 4 games has Hunter been targeted multiple times. Cincinnati threw at him 6 times; Hunter finished the game with 2 pass breakups and only 2 receptions allowed for 9 yards.

Your best receiver can’t escape Hunter.

And, by the way, Hunter had 99 receiving yards and a touchdown in the win over Tech. It was his ninth receiving score of the season, tying him for the Big 12 lead. The other guy has played 1 more game than Hunter.

Your best corner can’t cover him.

For weeks, Hunter’s Heisman candidacy was built on novel usage. When was the last time we’d seen someone play both sides of the football the way Hunter has? He isn’t just average, and he isn’t just moonlighting on one side of the ball while saving energy for the other. He’s been a true iron man, unlike anything we’ve seen.

But Hunter’s case could be picked at because Colorado was Colorado. This team was garbage. The Buffs went 1-8 against the Pac-12 the year before Deion Sanders was hired, and they went 1-8 against the Pac-12 in Sanders’ debut season.

Colorado wasn’t going to win anything of substance, and that was going to hurt Hunter when it came to the final Heisman vote.

Well.

In Week 11, Iowa State lost its second consecutive Big 12 game. Colorado rallied from a 13-0 hole after the first quarter to win 41-27 and, in doing so, grabbed sole possession of second place in the Big 12 standings.

BYU is unbeaten, but the Buffs won’t play the Cougars in the regular season.

Colorado closes out its year against Utah, Kansas, and Oklahoma State, teams that are a combined 2-15 against the rest of the Big 12. (Utah beat Oklahoma State in September.)

Hunter, Coach Prime, and the Buffs control their destiny in the Big 12 title race.

And, by extension, that means the Buffs control their destiny in the hunt for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

If the Buffs win out, they’ll play in the Big 12 title game.

This has been a remarkable turnaround. And Hunter is at the heart of it.

If Colorado closes this out and books a trip to AT&T Stadium, Hunter deserves the Heisman.

For weeks, I’ve had Miami’s Cam Ward or Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty in the top spot in this column. Hunter deserves his flowers.

Here’s the updated Heisman Trophy race after Week 11.

Editor’s note: The rank you see next to each player reflects how a vote for the Heisman would look right now 

1. Travis Hunter, Colorado WR/DB (LW: 4)

Week 11 results: 41-27 win at Texas Tech

Week 11 stats: 9 receptions, 99 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown

Season stats: 69 receptions, 856 receiving yards, 9 receiving touchdowns, 20 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 7 pass breakups, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble

One big number: 1 reception allowed all season that gained 20 yards or more

Current odds: +120 (via FanDuel)

Up next: vs. Utah

2. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State RB (LW: 2)

Week 11 results: 28-21 win over Nevada

Week 11 stats: 34 carries, 209 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns, 2 receptions, 12 receiving yards

Season stats: 224 carries, 1,734 rushing yards, 7.7 yards per attempt, 23 rushing touchdowns, 16 receptions, 93 receiving yards. 1 receiving touchdown

One big number: 14 rushing touchdowns, 894 rushing yards shy of tying Barry Sanders’ 1988 single-season FBS records

Current odds: +350 (via FanDuel)

Up next: at San Jose State

3. Cam Ward, Miami QB (LW: 1)

Week 11 results: 28-23 loss at Georgia Tech

Week 11 stats: 25-for-39, 348 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 5 carries, -5 rushing yards

Season stats: 66.8% completion, 3,494 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 182 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns, 1 receiving touchdown

One big number: FBS-leading 89.6 QBR and FBS-leading 87.4 EPA

Current odds: +800 (via FanDuel)

Up next: BYE

4. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon QB (LW: 3)

Week 11 results: 39-18 win over Maryland

Week 11 stats: 23-for-34, 183 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 4 carries, 28 rushing yards

Season stats: 74.1% completion, 2,848 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 148 rushing yards, 6 rushing touchdowns

One big number: second-lowest turnover-worthy play rate (1.6%) among quarterbacks with at least 300 dropbacks this season, per PFF

Current odds: +320 (via FanDuel)

Up next: at Wisconsin

5. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss QB (LW: 5)

Week 11 results: 28-10 win over Georgia

Week 11 stats: 13-for-22, 199 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown, 1 interception, 8 carries, 50 rushing yards

Season stats: 70.8% completion, 3,409 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 304 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns

One big number: leads the FBS in yards per pass attempt, passer rating, and NFL passer rating

Current odds: +2000 (via FanDuel)

Up next: BYE

6. Jalen Milroe, Alabama QB (LW: 7)

Week 11 results: 42-13 win at LSU

Week 11 stats: 12-for-18, 109 passing yards, 12 carries, 185 rushing yards, 4 rushing touchdowns

Season stats: 67.4% completion, 2,046 passing yards, 13 passing touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 565 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns

One big number: became the Alabama record-holder for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season against LSU

Current odds: +1800 (via FanDuel)

Up next: vs. Mercer

7. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana QB (LW: 6)

Week 11 results: 20-15 win over Michigan

Week 11 stats: 17-for-28, 206 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 1 interception, 5 carries, -28 rushing yards

Season stats: 71.8% completion, 2,410 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 17 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns

One big number: season-worst 44.3 QBR in win over Michigan

Current odds: +1400 (via FanDuel)

Up next: BYE

8. Dylan Sampson, Tennessee RB (LW: 8)

Week 11 results: 33-14 win over Mississippi State

Week 11 stats: 30 carries, 149 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 1 reception, -3 receiving yards

Season stats: 201 carries, 1,129 rushing yards, 5.6 yards per carry, 20 rushing touchdowns, 12 receptions, 94 receiving yards

One big number: tied for the eighth-most rushing touchdowns in a single season in SEC history

Current odds: not on the board (via FanDuel)

Up next: at Georgia

9. Cade Klubnik, Clemson QB (LW: 9)

Week 11 results: 24-14 win at Virginia Tech

Week 11 stats: 16-for-34, 211 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 1 interception, 15 carries, 30 rushing yards

Season stats: 63.1% completion, 2,275 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 300 rushing yards, 4 rushing touchdowns

One big number: threw just his first interception of the season in a true road game against Virginia Tech

Current odds: +10000 (via FanDuel)

Up next: at Pitt

10. Quinn Ewers, Texas QB (LW: unranked)

Week 11 results: 49-14 win over Florida

Week 11 stats: 19-for-27, 333 passing yards, 5 passing touchdowns

Season stats: 69.3% completion, 1,722 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, 6 interceptions, -50 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown

One big number: multiple passing touchdowns in 6 of his 7 appearances this season

Current odds: +4800 (via FanDuel)

Up next: at Arkansas