As the Big 12 Conference continues to suffer fire regarding its standing in the world of college football, Travis Hunter has emerged as the best player in the game right now.

Hunter, the incredible two-way star for Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes, made a statement on Black Friday with a 52-0 win over Oklahoma State.

Not only did Hunter catch 10 passes for 116 yards and three touchdowns from Shedeur Sanders, he also had an interception on defense while playing more than 110 plays that day.

The win helped Colorado maintain its hopes of a berth in the Big 12 title game and a possible College Football Playoff berth, as they finished 9-3 overall and 7-2 in the league.

A year after not playing in a bowl game, the Buffaloes are heading to the postseason. And Sanders founded Hunter, and his son will be among those playing, whatever the game.

Hunter led Nelson Spruce in scoring the most touchdowns scored in a single season by a Colorado player in school history, 14. In his last of the day, he struck the Heisman pose again.

“Travis won the Heisman with his performance today,” said Deion Sanders. “He’s the best player in college football. Travis has proven today and every week that he is the best player in college football.”

However, Hunter was not named a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the best defensive player in college football.

Black Friday was interesting in terms of the Heisman race as Hunter’s biggest threat, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, was also in action.

Jeanty led the Broncos to a 34-18 victory over Oregon State, improving to 11-1 on the year. Boise State’s only loss came to Oregon, the only undefeated team.

With 226 rushing yards, Jeanty moved into fifth place on the all-time single-season list. He trails Marcus Allen by just 54 yards, a number he should easily surpass when the Broncos play for the Mountain West title next week.

Jeanty is 340 yards shy of Barry Sanders’ NCAA mark of 2,628, which he set in 1988 while playing for Oklahoma State.

According to the latest odds Fanduel For the Heisman, Hunter is listed at -10,000, followed by Jeanty at +3,000. Miami quarterback Cam Ward, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Hunter’s teammate Sanders have all been in line for some time.

Should Hunter actually win the Heisman in December, he would be the first in the Big 12 to do so since 2018, when Oklahoma’s quarterback Kyler Murray made it a second consecutive year, following in Baker Mayfield’s footsteps.

Of course, the Sooners are no longer in the conference, but the last two honorees began their college careers with current Big 12 teams.

Caleb Williams, who played at Oklahoma before transferring to USC, won the award in 2022, and Jayden Daniels, who transferred to LSU from Arizona State, won it last year.

Only one cornerback, Charles Woodson of Michigan, has ever won the Heisman. He accomplished this as a junior in 1997 while also playing wide receiver and on special teams.