Colorado head coach Deion Sanders weighed in on this year's Heisman Trophy race following the Buffaloes' 34-23 victory over Cincinnati on Saturday.

Sanders said he doesn't necessarily care whether quarterback Shedeur Sanders is being considered as a serious candidate, but that it's “just strange” that he's not in much conversation.

“It’s just funny to me,” Coach Prime told reporters. “I just think it's ignorant, but it's funny to us because Shedeur couldn't care less. Shedeur wants to be drafted into a wonderful city. He wants to win. He thinks about that. He ain't thinking about no damn Heisman, man.”

Sanders was much more meaningful when it came to two-way star Travis Hunter, whose Heisman candidacy lost momentum when a shoulder injury limited his appearances in Colorado's final two games.

“Today, Travis is the best college football player in the country. We all know that,” Sanders said. “Why are we even thinking about this? What do we do? When will that change? So what are the criteria? Someone has to say what the criteria are for this prestigious award. Because we're looking for the best high school football player.” that – there's never been a Travis Hunter.

At Shedeur, Sanders, in a way, answered his own question when he stood up for Hunter.

It takes extraordinary circumstances for teammates to be on the same Heisman ballot. Alabama had two finalists in 2020 (Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith), which came after the Crimson Tide went 11-0 and were the SEC champions. Ohio State also did it the year before with Justin Fields and Chase Young, and the Buckeyes were also undefeated until the postseason.

Colorado, on the other hand, is unranked and lacks a true signature win. Neither is helpful to Shedeur's efforts to build a Heisman campaign. His individual numbers are also strong (2,591 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and a passer rating of 165.0), but not exceptional enough to surpass his team's record.

Hunter, on the other hand, reminded fans why he has a right to be at the top of the Heisman hierarchy. He caught nine passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns while recording two tackles and breaking up four passes against Cincinnati.

The junior is at least on track to earn an invitation to the Heisman ceremony in New York City, and he could become the second winner in program history, joining Rashaan Salaam in 1994.