There are a multitude of lines for college football betting this weekend featuring marquee matchups of top-ranked teams. Some of those include the 15th-ranked Missippi Rebels vs. the 13th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (-7.0), the #22 UCLA Bruins vs. the 11th-ranked Utah Utes (-4.0), and the 6th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (-3.5) versus the #12 Penn State Nittany Lions.
Still, most of the attention is being sucked out of the room by the Colorado Buffaloes led by head coach Deion “Prime Time” Sanders, At 3:30 PM this Saturday in Eugene, Oregon, the Buffaloes will have the opportunity to silence any remaining critics by beating the Ducks at their house.
Colorado enters the game ranked 19th overall with a record of 3-0. The Buffaloes survived a double-overtime thriller against their cross-state rival, the CSU Rams, last Saturday, setting the stage for their first Pac-12 matchup of 2023.
18+ college football betting sites are weighing their close contest with Colorado State heavily, as they are three-touchdown underdogs against Oregon.
Colorado Buffaloes vs. Oregon Ducks
- Point Spread: Colorado +21.0, Oregon -21.0
- Moneyline: Colorado +650, Oregon -1100
- Over/Under: 70.5
Check out the massive over/under total offered for the Colorado vs. Oregon game at Bovada. Combining the total and the point spread in the above NCAAF betting line indicates a final score projection of Oregon 45, Colorado 25.
Star wide receiver and cornerback Travis Henry of the Buffaloes will not suit up for the Oregon game due to an injury he suffered when a CSU player illegally hit him after the whistle had blown.
The hit resulted in the player and his family receiving death threats, as his address and phone number were posted online prior to the end of the CSU vs. Colorado game.
Can Colorado Win?
There’s no question that the Buffaloes program has been reignited under Coach Prime. The injection of new athletes has propelled them into the national spotlight, but do they have what it takes to beat Oregon?
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is well aware of Sanders’ impact and will not be taking Colorado lightly this weekend.
“I’d be a fool not to recognize all of the success they have created on a team that didn’t have a lot of success before… He’s done a phenomenal job…”
Ducks Head Coach Dan Lanning
Online sportsbooks don’t think the Buffaloes have much of a chance of winning, but they may have overreached with such a massive spread.
Why Oregon Will Win
There’s no doubting the talent possessed by Ducks’ quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. He is a leading candidate in the odds to win the 2023 Heisman Trophy, and his value to the team is unquestioned.
The odds for betting on the CFP don’t include the Ducks as a top-four contender. However, a win vs. CO will set the stage for a Pac-12 matchup with USC, where the winner could have a shot at the College Football Playoffs.
On Colorado’s side of the ball, they’ve been unable to establish their running game, something that makes their offense one-dimensional and easy to predict. They’ve also struggled on defense, allowing routine big plays that forces their offense to bail them out.
Bovada Sportsbook (Bovada Review), ESPN, The Register-Guard
