Coming off a brutal 28-10 loss to currently-No. 23 ranked Nebraska, Colorado and coach Deion Sanders will be looking to bounce back with a win on the road on Saturday in the Rocky Mountain Showdown.
Last season, the Buffaloes beat their in-state rival in overtime to improve their record to 3-0, but lost eight of their final nine games.
Can Colorado shake off their road loss to the Cornhuskers and get a much-needed win, or will the Centennial Cup remain in Fort Collins after the game?
Let’s break down Saturday’s matchup and see where betting value lies for Colorado vs. Colorado State.
Colorado vs Colorado State odds
| team | Spread the word | Money Line | total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | -7 (-112) | -278 | o57.5 (-108) |
| Colorado | +7 (-108) | +225 | u57.5 (-112) |
Colorado vs. Colorado State Predictions
Thus, the Buffaloes reverted to where they were at this time last season, pressuring quarterback Shedul Sanders too often, gaining few yards in the running game and allowing a ton of points to opposing teams.
Nebraska stunned Buffalo last week, and that's the mildest way to put it.
Colorado's situation was made worse by the surgery of safety Shiloh Sanders, who was forced to leave the game with a forearm injury. Shiloh's father, Deion Sanders, optimistically estimated his son's return timeline at two to three weeks.
Meanwhile, the Rams bounced back after a 52-0 loss to Texas against Northern Colorado in Week 2. After a tough loss to the Longhorns, the Rams were in need of a confidence boost.
Colorado State returns several key players from last season's 5-7 team, including quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and star wide receiver Torrey Horton, who both suffered minor lower-body injuries during last week's win over North Carolina.
(Rams coach Jay Norvell believes Horton will be available on Saturday, so we won't make too much of an emphasis on that in this betting guide).
Colorado appears to be falling apart for the second straight year, with coach Sanders just publicly blaming the offensive line for the five sacks and countless pressures against Nebraska.
Additionally, the defense has shown little improvement from last year and will enter this rivalry game without one of their best defenders, Shiloh Sanders.
The Buffaloes have been far too one-dimensional on offense, relying almost entirely on the arm talent and scrambling ability of Shadur Sanders and the playmaking of wide receiver Travis Hunter to generate points.
Opponents know Colorado doesn't like to run the ball — the Buffaloes ranked last in rushing yards per game last season and have done little to improve on that in 2024.
They gained 59 yards in their season opener against FCS North Dakota State, but gained just 16 yards last week against the Huskers after falling behind early.
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This makes the Buffaloes an easier team to game plan for and much more predictable than they were at this time last year.
If the Rams are on the field, I’ll happily give them a plus-7.5 points.
Pick: Colorado State +7.5 (+100, FanDuel)
Why trust New York Post Betting?
Andrew Norton handicaps the NBA, WNBA, NFL, college basketball and football, UFC and golf. During the 2022-23 NBA season, he achieved an outstanding ROI of 14.1%, cashed 60% of his NBA spread picks and led Tallysight in SportsIQ metrics.
