The Colorado State Rams and Texas Longhorns open their 2024 NCAA football seasons Saturday at Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium in Austin. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Colorado State vs. Texas odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
The Rams just missed out on bowl eligibility last season, finishing 5-7. Remember, it lost that epic 2-OT game at Colorado last Sept. 16. Colorado State also lost a 25-23 heartbreaker at UNLV on Oct. 21, while slipping up 27-24 at Hawaii in the season finale in another crushing loss in the final seconds.
The Colorado State defense improved dramatically as the season went along, and it returns 6 starters. On offense, the Rams get QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi back. He went for 3,460 passing yards and 22 TD in 2023, and he will pair with All-American WR Tory Horton for a solid pass-catch combo. RB Justin Marshall finished up strong, and he could be a solid piece of the offense, too.
For Texas, it heads to the SEC for the 2024 season. While this isn’t a conference game, it’s historic nonetheless.