“I Know I’ll Be Shamed”: CFB Expert Explains Why He’ll Pick Shedeur Sanders, Not Travis Hunter, on His Heisman Ballot

The Colorado Buffaloes have two of college football’s brightest stars in Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. One is the projected top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The other is the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. However, neither player is the consensus selection for either honor because of their combined might.

Pete Fuitak – the creator of CollegeFootballNews.com – revealed he is not subscribing to groupthink. Despite many analysts clamoring for Hunter to take home the Heisman Trophy, he’ll be voting for Sanders, whom he believes is “Colorado’s best player.”

I know I’ll be shamed and ridiculed for not automatically following the crowd to put Travis Hunter on top of my Heisman ballot, but …

Shedeur Sanders – 15-of-17 for 197 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT, team-high 31 rushing yards, and counting – is Colorado’s best player.

— Pete Fiutak (@PeteFiutak) November 23, 2024

One commenter on Fiutak’s post agreed, saying, “[you’re] not wrong for saying this.” Both Sanders and Hunter bolstered their cases with strong Week 13 performances, but were not able to lead Colorado to victory. The Buffs’ 37-21 loss to the unranked Kansas Jayhawks moved them into a three-way tie atop the Big 12 standings with BYU and Arizona State.

Travis Hunter remains in front of the Heisman pack

With just one week left in the regular season, sportsbooks believe the Heisman Trophy race is all but wrapped up. FanDuel Sportsbook lists Hunter as a -900 favorite for the award. That line correlates to a 90% implied probability of him winning the prestigious trophy. DraftKings considers Hunter a -700 favorite (88.24% implied probability).

Hunter had a dominant individual effort on both sides of the ball against Kansas. He recorded seven tackles and a pass defensed as a cornerback. As a wide receiver, he made eight catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns.

Get the ball in Travis Hunter’s hands and good things will happen pic.twitter.com/xFEOQXICJ2

— Billy M (@BillyM_91) November 23, 2024

Sanders’ production – 23/29 (79.3%), 266 yards and three touchdowns – would garner more hype if not for Hunter’s showing. Regardless, he’s not considered to be in the running for the Heisman Trophy at this point. DraftKings lists him at +25000 to claim the award, while FanDuel has him at +40000. He’s not among either organization’s top five betting favorites.

Colorado (8-3) still has an opportunity to reach the Big 12 Championship. However, they must defeat Oklahoma State to remain alive for that honor. The Buffaloes and Cowboys face off Friday at 12:00 p.m. E.T. on ABC.