Colorado has a long checklist of things that needs to go right in order for it to reach the Big 12 Championship Game in Arlington next weekend. Friday, it checked off task number one in emphatic fashion.

Colorado ran Oklahoma State off the field in the first quarter at Folsom Field and never looked back, shutting the Cowboys down in a dominant 52-0 victory to close out the regular season after an emotional Senior Day ceremony that concluded with Deion Sanders walking both Shedeur and Shilo Sanders out for their final home game.

"They're the ones who changed the game for us," Deion Sanders said of the seniors. "They're the ones that impacted this wonderful learning institution. They're the ones that are responsible for the recruits that you're seeing commit. They're the ones that are responsible for the way that game was played, the way it panned out. They're the ones who put us on the map."

The Buffs (9-3, 7-2 Big 12) came out for their Folsom Field finale on fire. On Oklahoma State’s first series of the game, Travis Hunter picked off a pass by Maealiuaki Smith and CU was off and running.

The Colorado offense quickly cashed in on the turnover as freshman running back Micah Welch punched in a 1-yard touchdown run just 3 minutes into the game. On Colorado’s next possession, Shedeur Sanders and company were able to sustain a slow, methodical drive that took nearly 6 minutes. Sanders punctuated the series by evading the pass rush and finding LaJohntay Wester in the back left corner of the end zone to make it 14-0.

Things quickly went from bad to worse for the Cowboys. On the second play of the ensuing drive, star wide receiver Brennan Presley caught a short pass on the left side before Carter Stoutmire immediately stripped the ball from him. Shilo Sanders pounced on the recovery and the Buffs were right back in business. CU got Hunter involved right away as Sanders hit him for an 11-yard score over the middle to take a 21-0 lead with 2 minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Following its third consecutive touchdown, the Colorado offense fell straight asleep. Oklahoma State's offense continued its ineptitude, but the Buffs somehow began to match them on their possessions. Over the eleven possessions in the second quarter, 10 of them ended with punts and Colorado failed to convert a fourth down as it took a 21-0 lead into the locker room.

The break was exactly what the Buffs needed. CU came out of the locker room and hit a quick strike on just the third play of the second half as Sanders hit Wester on a quick out route on the right side. The CU receiver broke one tackle and ran away from the rest of the Cowboys for a 69-yard touchdown.

From there, the second half was a highlight factory for Deion Sanders and company. Just 3 minutes later, Hunter took advantage of another OSU turnover with an 8-yard touchdown catch to extend the lead to 35-0. This was Hunter’s 13th receiving touchdown of the season, setting a new Colorado school record.

Right at the beginning of the fourth quarter, cornerback DJ McKinney rubbed some salt in the wound of his old team, picking off a pass and returning it 13 yards for a touchdown to make the score 45-0 with 14:25 to play.

After another Oklahoma State three-and-out, it was time for Hunter to leave his lasting image on his final series at Folsom Field. After a big 31-yard catch early in the drive, the Heisman Trophy favorite did exactly that. Sanders lofted a beautiful pass into the left corner of the end zone and Hunter adjusted perfectly, making another contested catch look easy and reeling in his third touchdown of the day. Fittingly, he capped it off with a Heisman pose in front of the CU students before checking out of the game for good.

Hunter finished this one with 10 catches for 116 yards and three touchdowns on offense and an interception and two pass breakups on defense. Wester had a huge day of his own with 11 catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns. It was an inconsistent day for Shedeur Sanders, but he still finished with a nuclear stat line: 34 for 41 with 438 yards and five touchdowns with one interception.

"He's the best player in college football," Deion Sanders said of Hunter after the game. "You could find ways to hate, to criticize, to condemn him, and you won't come out of that looking professional, because now you're just searching for something. But Travis Hunter proved today, and he's proved every week, that he is the best player in college football."

The Buffs' defense held Oklahoma State to just 147 yards and 10 first downs, six of which came on the Cowboys’ final drive of the game. Robert Livingston’s group also forced four turnovers in the win.

Colorado will now anxiously wait for the rest of the results around the Big 12 to roll in on Saturday as it awaits its conference championship fate. The Buffs will root for an Arizona win over Arizona State (1:30 p.m. MST), a Kansas State win over Iowa State (5:30 p.m. MST) and a Houston win over BYU (8:15 p.m. MST).

If those games go their way, the Buffs will get a crack at a Big 12 Championship in Arlington next Saturday. If not, they will await their placement in a bowl game next month.

First quarter

COL 12:03: Micah Welch 1-yard rush (Alejandro Mata kick), COL 7-0

COL 3:47: LaJohntay Wester 10-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders (Alejandro Mata kick), COL 14-0

COL 2:09: Travis Hunter 11-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders (Alejandro Mata kick), COL 21-0

Second quarter

N/A

Third quarter

COL 14:02: LaJohntay Wester 69-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders (Alejandro Mata kick), COL 28-0

COL 10:50: Travis Hunter 8-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders (Alejandro Mata kick), COL 35-0

COL 4:31: Alejandro Mata 33-yard field goal, COL 38-0

Fourth quarter

COL 14:25: DJ McKinney 13-yard interception return (Alejandro Mata kick), COL 45-0

COL 11:05: Travis Hunter 23-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders (Alejandro Mata kick), COL 52-0

Colorado won this game because of a hot start and an Oklahoma State team that, quite frankly, just didn’t show up to play. Colorado opened things up with one touchdown drive in the first quarter and punched in two more thanks to short fields after Cowboy turnovers, but CU played plenty of ugly football itself in this one. The Cowboys still didn’t have it in them to match up.

The Buffs played much better in the third quarter than they did in the second, scoring a pair of quick touchdowns to push the lead to 35-0 and eliminate any hope of an Oklahoma State comeback. While the Cowboys contributed to that Colorado success, the Buffs were able to put them away in a way that they hadn’t in other games this season.

This game never turned after the Buffs captured all of the momentum on the third play of the game when Maealiuaki Smith hurled a ball into triple coverage and Travis Hunter came away with the interception. The Buffs scored their first touchdown of the game just a few plays later and they were off and running.

Even when Colorado lost all of its momentum on offense in the second quarter, Oklahoma State was never able to create a big play to seize that opportunity and spin it in its favor.

The Buffs stalled out on offense in the second quarter during a frustrating stretch plagued by sacks and just overall inefficiency. At halftime, Colorado knew that it had to get things back on track in order to put Oklahoma State away.

On the third play of the second half, Wester took a short pass and turned it up the sideline in a blur for a 69-yard touchdown.

The game was well out of hand at this point, but DJ McKinney got one in the end zone for the first time as a Buff. With Oklahoma State backed up, McKinney picked off an errant pass and took it back to the end zone for a touchdown.

Hunter had another special day in his final game at Folsom Field. In the first quarter, Hunter recorded an interception, a receiving touchdown and a pass breakup in what was possibly his last chance to make an impression on Heisman Trophy voters. The two-way superstar racked up another 100-yard performance with three touchdowns and an interception in another dominant performance.

The Buffs got defensive tackle Shane Cokes back for Friday's game, but a lot of their other injured players didn’t play. Receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. dressed for senior day but didn’t play at all. Cornerback Preston Hodge and running back Isaiah Augustave both also didn’t play Friday. Tyler Brown and walk-on Ben Reznik both saw action at right tackle after Phillip Houston’s knee injury.

Offensive lineman Kahlil Benson was a surprising scratch Friday and was seen wearing a walking boot before the game.

Colorado

Total Yards: 471

Passing

Shedeur Sanders: 34-for-41, 438 yards, 5 TD, 1 INTRyan Staub: 0-for-1

Rushing

Micah Welch: 12 carries, 39 yards, TD

Charlie Offerdahl: 4 carries, 16 yards

Isaiah Hardge: 2 carries, 8 yards

Dallan Hayden: 1 carry, 1 yard

Shedeur Sanders: 10 carries, -31 yards

Receiving

LaJohntay Wester: 11 catches, 175 yards, 2 TD

Travis Hunter: 10 catches, 116 yard, 3 TD

Will Sheppard: 6 catches, 67 yards

Isaiah Hardge: 1 catch, 39 yards

Micah Welch: 2 catches, 18 yards

Drelon Miller: 1 catch, 15 yards

Dallan Hayden: 2 catches, 7 yards

Charlie Offerdahl: 1 catch, 1 yard

Oklahoma State

Total yards: 147

Passing

Maealiuaki Smith: 11-for-29, 70 yards, 2 INTAlan Bowman: 1-for-5, 7 yards

Rushing

Trent Howland: 9 carries, 57 yards

Rodney Fields Jr.: 5 carries, 13 yards

Sesi Vailahi: 3 carries, 10 yards

Ollie Gordon II: 4 carries, 10 yards

Maealiuaki Smith: 7 carries, -4 yards

Alan Bowman: 2 carries, -10 yards

Receiving

Brennan Presley: 8 catches, 42 yards

Ollie Gordon II: 1 catch, 18 yards

De’Zhaun Stribling: 2 catches, 10 yards

Kyler Pearson: 1 catch 7 yards