Denver ? Colorado found gold at the end of the steamroller.

Backing into the Big 12 Conference title game? Crawling in is more like it. But the Buffaloes are going – for the fourth time in five years, in fact.

When he got the surprising news Saturday, coach Gary Barnett reprised the old joke: What do you call the person who graduates last in his class from medical school?

“I guess if you can call that last guy … ‘Doctor,’ you can call us champions,” he said.

The Buffs (7-4, 5-3) will play No. 2 Texas next week in Houston, a daunting trip, especially given their spirit-crushing 30-3 loss to Nebraska on Friday.

CU’s loss left the door open for Iowa State. But the Cyclones lost Saturday to Kansas University in overtime.

Barnett conceded he was so sick about his own loss, he didn’t bother watching Iowa State on television. For the second straight year, though, the Buffs earned their trip to the title game thanks to the Cyclones losing by a field goal in overtime on a day CU wasn’t even playing.