Colorado coach Deion Sanders explains why Alamo Bowl will be tough for him emotionally

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is already bracing himself for what will happen to his heart when his team faces BYU in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio Dec. 28.

It will be the final game that he will coach his two youngest sons at Colorado after coaching them most of their lives, from youth league to college. Both quarterback Shedeur Sanders and safety Shilo Sanders are down to their last game of college eligibility.

“This is gonna be our last game,” Sanders said Sunday on an Alamo Bowl announcement event. “And you talk about monumental. You talking about something that we started from the youth league. And guess what? It started right here in Texas.”

Now it will end in Texas, with both teams scheduled to arrive in San Antonio before Christmas.  He said it would be emotional.

“It’s gonna be tough for me,” Sanders said. “I’m telling you that right now.”

Sanders spoke about this Sunday after being asked about coaching his sons.

“You’re making me think about the end,” he said. “I don’t want to think about the end.”

Deion Sanders said his players will not opt out of bowl

Deion Sanders reiterated that those sons will play in the bowl game and not “opt out” to avoid risking an injury that could hurt their NFL draft stock in April. He said cornerback-receiver Travis Hunter will play, too, helping boost the game’s appeal for fans. Hunter is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy Dec. 14.

“Every last one of them are gonna play,” Sanders said. “We don’t tap out. We don’t sit out. This is a blessing to play this wonderful game. Our kids are gonna play.”

He also noted that 100-year-old Colorado superfan Peggy Coppom would travel to the game by “private plane,” fulfilling a promise he made before the season to get her to a bowl game.

ALAMO BOWL: Why are two Big 12 teams playing each other?

Sanders aiming for attendance record at Alamo Bowl

Sanders said Sunday he’s aiming to set new attendance records at the Alamodome. The biggest Alamo Bowl crowd came in 2007, when 66,166 watched Penn State beat Texas A&M, 24-17. The stadium's capacity for football is listed at 64,000.

Country singer George Strait drew 73,086 for a concert in 2013, setting the facility record, according to the Alamo Bowl.

“I hear that George Strait as well as Texas A&M has the record for attendance," Deion Sanders said. "I’m pretty sure we’re gonna break that one."

Colorado-BYU pregame festivities in San Antonio

Both teams are scheduled to go to SeaWorld in San Antonio on Christmas Day as part of the pregame festivities. BYU coach Kalani Sitake also has plans to enjoy another part of the culture there.

“The destination is always about food, too,” Sitake said. “I know San Antonio can hold its own when it comes to food, so I’m looking forward to gaining some weight that week.”

Sanders heard that remark and responded.

“I’m not a big eater, but I am a soul food eater,” Sanders said. “I like soul food, not the ones that make you sleepy but the ones that make you weepy.”

Why haven’t BYU and Colorado played each other in so long?

This will be the first meeting between Colorado (9-3) and BYU (10-2) since the Freedom Bowl in 1988, when running back Eric Bieniemy scored two touchdowns for Colorado in a 20-17 loss.

They’re on different sides of the Rocky Mountains and only about 500 miles apart. But they played in different conferences before Colorado rejoined the Big 12 this year. BYU joined the Big 12 last year. They two didn’t play each other this season either because the Big 12 has 16 teams, with each team playing only nine games against Big 12 foes.

However, the two will play each other next season in Boulder, Colorado, and then in Provo, Utah, in 2027.

Both were members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and the Mountain States Conference from 1937-47.

Colorado leads the overall series 8-3-1.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colorado coach Deion Sanders braces for emotional Alamo Bowl vs. BYU