Betting Preview
Game Details
- Who: Colorado State Rams at Colorado Buffaloes
- When: Saturday, Sept. 16 (Week 3)
- Time: 8 p.m. MDT/ 10 p.m. EST
- Where: Folson Field (Boulder, CO)
Betting Odds Summary
- Moneyline: Rams +1200, Buffaloes -2400
- Spread: Rams +23.5 (-110), Buffaloes -23.5 (-110)
- Total: Over/Under 61 (-110/-110)
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook. Subject to change.
How big has Deion Sanders’ arrival been to the Colorado Buffaloes program?
There are a multitude of ways to describe how monumental his presence has already been through just two weeks, but it is best exemplified by the fact that ESPN’s College GameDay is headed to Boulder, Colorado, for the Buffaloes’ home game against their rivals, the Colorado State Rams, in Week 3.
Sanders took over the program this season and has led this squad to a 2-0 start, which is already more wins than they accumulated last year (1-11 record in 2022). “Coach Prime” also claims that the Buffaloes are getting a wide array of calls from top recruits who are desperate to be next in line for college football’s greatest new show.
Further, “Prime Time’s” new squad has gone from likely Pac-12 bottom-dwellers (they had a win total line of 3.5 games on DraftKings in late August) to holding the 15th-best National Championship futures odds (+8000) in a matter of weeks.
It certainly helped that Sanders brought nearly an entire team over in the transfer portal in what was undoubtedly the craziest roster overhaul in the “Portal Era,” but results this impressive are far from guaranteed. So far, it appears to be ingenious—all of it.
As mentioned, Colorado hosts Colorado State in “The Rocky Mountain Showdown” in college football’s Week 3, an in-state battle for the “Centennial Cup.”
To increase the stakes even more, the last time these two teams faced off was four years ago, and the Buffaloes have kept the cup since 2015. Do the Rams have what it takes to knock off Colorado and bring it back down to Earth, or will the Buffaloes keep charging through their opponents?
Moneyline
Let’s ride the Buffaloes’ hype train on the way to a third-straight win. Their moneyline odds are steady at -2400 after widening from roughly -1800 at the open. Colorado has the talent and the momentum to drub its in-state rival, Colorado State.
There is often little value in betting on a team that is such a big favorite, especially when the market is already inflated for the Buffs due to the national attention they are receiving; however, we would roll with Colorado here regardless.
Since it is only Week 3, and the Rams have only played one game, there is not a substantial sample size of data to back up the pick, but the Buffaloes are a pass-heavy team, and Colorado State allowed 466 yards in the air to Washington State.
That puts the Rams in second-to-last place in opponent passing yards per game in the nation. Ironically, the only team that has allowed more opponent passing yards per game is TCU (its Week 2 game against FCS opponent Nicholls State is not counted here), the team that Shedeur Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes went nuclear against in Week 1.
There is little doubt that TCU, the national runner-up last season that returned 11 total starters, has a much stronger defense than Colorado State. A blowout could be in order.
Point Spread
As expected, the betting public is all over the Buffaloes to cover the substantial 23.5-point spread, and we can’t blame it. In its past nine games against Pac-12 opponents, Colorado State has a 1-8 record against the spread; the Rams have not been a competitive team in recent years when playing against superior talent.
The Rams’ Week 1 game against now-No. 23 Washington State should provide a strong comparison to what we can expect No. 18 Colorado to accomplish, except for the fact that the Buffaloes undoubtedly are more talented at the skill positions.
With Shedeur Sanders under center, Dylan Edwards in the backfield, and a terrific trio of receivers in Xavier Weaver, Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr, there is simply no comparison regarding talent. Hunter also plays cornerback on defense and should limit the productivity of Colorado State’s best receiver, Tory Horton.
Hunter has an outside chance to win the Heisman, and a strong showing against one of the better receivers in the nation is a great way to continue pushing for the award.
Over/Under Total
The Buff’s Week 1 win was a shootout (87 total points), but the point total in Week 2 was much lower (50). The Rams also had a high-scoring first game of the season (74 points); however, 42 of those points came in the fourth quarter.
For this in-state rivalry game, the Over/Under rests at 61 points. The Under appeals in this game for a few reasons. For one, Colorado State scored 21 of its 24 points in the fourth quarter of its first game against Washington State, a team similar in talent to the Buffaloes.
Each defense lifted their respective foot off the pedal in the fourth, but until that point, there was some defensive resistance on both sides. However, don’t expect Colorado to take its foot off the gas defensively.
The Buffaloes should rack up many points on offense but might not let Colorado State reach double-digits, especially with Travis Hunter shadowing Tory Horton all game. It would take Justus Ross-Simmons stepping up hugely once again (123 receiving yards and one touchdown in Week 1) for the Rams to put up a respectable total here.
Player Prop
After two monstrous games, it makes sense to continue backing Shedeur Sanders; his passing yards player prop line is 341.5 yards. His Over could be a viable play.
Sanders has slaughtered this line, throwing for 510 and 393 yards through the first two games, respectively. His poise in the pocket, precision, and instinct have already catapulted him up NFL Draft boards.
Further, this Rams defense will objectively be the weakest defense through his first three games as a Buff. TCU was a Top 25-ranked team (with several defensive returners from last year’s national runner-up team) before suffering a Week 1 loss. Nebraska also has a middle-of-the-road defensive unit in the Big Ten.
Sanders’ volume is promising, as he has averaged nearly 45 passing attempts through the first two games. He will have a clinic against a Rams team that gave up 451 passing yards to a player (Cameron Ward) who does not possess Shedeur’s pro-caliber talent.
Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
