KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Devin Neal ran for 207 yards and three touchdowns, caught four passes for 80 yards and another score to lead Kansas to a 37-21 victory over No. 16 Colorado on Saturday, dealing a major blow to the Buffaloes’ hopes to play for the Big 12 title.

Jalon Daniels threw for 189 yards and a touchdown, and the Jayhawks (5-6, 4-4) scored on every offensive series but their last, leaving Colorado stars Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy candidate Travis Hunter on the sidelines.

Sanders finished with 266 yards passing and three touchdowns, setting the Colorado single-season record with 30 TD passes, while Hunter finished with eight catches for 125 yards and two scores. But the two-way standout did little on defense — and no one else wore an all-white uniform — as the Jayhawks defeated a ranked team for a school-record third straight week.

Now the Buffaloes (8-3, 6-2 Big 12) must beat Oklahoma State and get some help to play for a championship in their return to the Big 12, and earn the league’s guaranteed spot in the College Football Playoff .

The Jayhawks, whose back-to-back wins over Iowa State and BYU had given them renewed confidence, suddenly look like the team that was expected to contend for a Big 12 title before a series of late-game collapses resulted in a 1-5 start. .

They opened with Neal’s 51-yard touchdown catch. They forced a three-and-out and scored again for a 10-0 lead. And when they got the ball back, the Jayhawks raced down the field and Neal ran into the end zone for another score.

It was 17-0 before Hunter, who has emerged as the Heisman frontrunner, took a short pass from Sanders and sliced ​​the field, deftly slipping between several Kansas defenders and going 51 yards untouched for a touchdown.

The teams traded scores at intermission, and the Jayhawks held tight to a 23-14 lead. But the question became whether Kansas coach Lance Leipold would rue field goals of 24, 23 and 25 yards instead of going for touchdowns in the first half.