Colorado football: Shedeur Sanders’ Heisman hopes crushed by Oregon

After beating No. 17 TCU on the road, a pesky Nebraska team, and in-state rival Colorado State to start the season 3-0, Colorado football faced its toughest test on Saturday afternoon in Eugene.

The Buffaloes struggled from the get-go against Oregon as the Ducks blew the doors off Colorado, 42-0. It truly was complete domination from start to finish as the Buffaloes found out just how tough it’s going to be to compete in the Pac-12 this season.

Sure, they got off to a hot start, but even that No. 19 ranking seemed fraudulent on Saturday.

And so did Shedeur Sanders’ Heisman candidacy.

In fact, it seems like the Ducks crushed his Heisman Trophy hopes on Saturday afternoon as Bo Nix really put the country on notice and the defense held Sanders in check.

Is Shedeur Sanders out of the Heisman race already?

It’s way too early to say that Sanders is out of the Heisman race after a losing effort in Week 4 and his worst performance of the season, but if Saturday is any indication of what to expect moving forward, the Buffaloes won’t be a threat to contend in the Pac-12.

That, in turn, will eliminate him from consideration.

Plus, he was lost all afternoon long, passing for just 159 yards and a touchdown on 23-of-33 completions. He averaged under 5.0 yards per attempt. He was also sacked over a half-dozen times.

Are the Heisman hopes dashed? It sure feels that way, especially as Sanders was out-classed by Bo Nix all game long, but if he can bounce back and Colorado can prove this loss was an anomaly, the Heisman race can still be within reach.