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Year two of the Coach Prime era for the Colorado Buffaloes begins with a home opener against a pesky FCS opponent – the North Dakota State Bison.
Montana State paved the way for FCS teams to topple FBS teams by beating New Mexico in Week 0. Our North Dakota State vs. Colorado predictions analyze whether or not a second FCS team can follow suit as we kick off our Week 1 college football predictions.
The Bison have won nine of the previous 13 FCS championships and are the No. 2 team in the FCS Coaches Poll. Colorado is looking to improve from a 4-8 record last season and isn't making a splash in the college football championship odds.
Best North Dakota State vs. Colorado picks
College football picks based on the odds from our best college football betting sites. Odds subject to change.
- Game pick: North Da kota State +10 (-110 via Caesars) vs. Colorado ?????
- Player prop: Shedeur Sanders Under 304.5 passing yards (-114 via FanDuel) ???
North Dakota State vs. Colorado prediction: Week 1
Grabbing North Dakota State with the points is our most confident five-star play, as we love to fade the public, and this is shaping up to be the most contrarian wager of the weekend.
Early in the week, DraftKings reported that Colorado was the most-bet ATS team by handle for Week 1. However, the fact that the line there has only moved a half-point from +9.5 to +10 suggests the book is comfortable with its position needing the underdog.
Colorado lost its final eight games of the season last year and once again completely revamped its roster in the offseason. The Buffaloes added 43 players via the portal (11 more than any other school) and had the most play ers exit from any major conference school (51).
We will need to see if Colorado's offensive line can keep quarterback Shedeur Sanders upright this season. It allowed 56 sacks (second-worst in FBS), 223 pressures (third-worst), and had a 55% blown block percentage (worst).
I would only back an underdog in this big of a spot on the road if it had an experienced quarterback. The Bison fit that bill. Signal-caller Cam Miller has made 38 consecutive starts, and it does not hurt that he completed 72% of his passes and had 32 touchdowns to just four interceptions.
I am grabbing the +10 with a Caesars promo code, as many of our other best sports betting sites are still at +9.5. Given the lopsided action on the favorite, I would not put anyone off waiting to see if +10.5s become available before kickoff.
A winning $10 wager would pay out $19.09.
< b>Best odds: -110 via Caesars | Implied probability: 52.38%
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North Dakota State vs. Colorado player prop
Sanders took a beating behind a shoddy offensive line last year. I expect new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to use his NFL experience to instill a more balanced pro-style offense. Colorado ranked in the top 25 in passing downs rate last year, but a heavier commitment to the running game should do wonders for keeping Sanders healthy.
Sanders' top receiving option, Travis Hunter, is back, but North Dakota State's secondary is underrated. Its two safeties receiving preseason all-conference honors (Cole Wisniewski-first team, Sam Jung-honorable mention) help make this a three-star play.
I expect North Dakota State's physical running game, which had six players rush for 300-plus yards and produced 47 total rushing touchdowns, to keep Sanders and the Colorado offense on the sidelines.
No competing sp ortsbooks have O/Us available for Sanders' passing yards, but I would play this down to 299.5 and take advantage of better value on any alternate lines if they surface.
The payout at -114 odds is $18.77 on a winning $10 wager.
Best odds: -114 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 53.27%
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North Dakota State vs. Colorado odds
See all of this week's college football odds and NCAAF scores.
North Dakota State vs. Colorado game info
- When: Thursday, Aug. 29
- Kick off: 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Folsom Field, Boulder, Colo.
- How to watch: ESPN
- Weather: 82 degrees, 0% chance of precipitation, wind 7 mph E
- Favorite: Colorado (-10 via DraftKings)
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