Heading into college football’s Week 4, the Colorado Buffaloes are still moving the sport’s needle.
Deion Sanders’ 2-1 squad is playing its fourth consecutive primetime game, this time on FOX at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, at home against Baylor.
And according to at least one prominent online sportsbook, the Buffs are bringing in plenty of wagers.
“Colorado’s game continues to get action from bettors each week,” Seamus Magee, BetMGM Trading Manager, told Covers. “This week, for example, (Colorado-Baylor) is the seventh most bet game. In Week 1 (Colorado-North Dakota State) was the most bet.”
While the Buffs remain a good draw for BetMGM, there has been some waning interest with other online betting sites, especially after Nebraska pummeled Colorado in Week 2.
According to numbers provided by DraftKings, Colorado was the ninth-most bet team by handle in Week 1. That went up to seventh-most against the Cornhuskers.
In last week’s game against rival Colorado State, the Buffs were 28th nationally in money wagered, and heading into the Baylor game, they’re 29th.
However, bets will follow if the Buffs remain in the spotlight behind cornerback Travis Hunter and quarterback Shadeur Sanders, both of whom are getting Heisman candidate buzz. If losses begin to pile up like last year, that could change.
“We expect interest to stay high as long as the Buffs keep winning,” Magee said. “Matchups also drive interest, so when Colorado plays ranked Big 12 teams those games will be among the most bet.”
All over the place
That’s the case this week with bettors all over the place ahead of Colorado’s game against Baylor – its first matchup since returning to the Big 12 after spending 13 years in the Pac-12.
BetMGM opened the matchup with a spread of Colorado -1.5. The line hasn’t moved while 60% of the bets and 63% of the handle are on the Buffaloes.
As a two-point favorite at DraftKings, Colorado is getting 65% of the bets, but 52% of the money has come in on the underdog Bears. However, 66% of the handle and 54% of the wagers are backing Colorado on the moneyline with odds of -125.
According to numbers provided by ESPN BET, Baylor has received the majority of spread bets, while Colorado has picked up 61% of the money.
A whopping 79.6% of the handle is on Colorado to win outright, but just 35.2% of the bets are backing the Buffs on the moneyline.
Market movement
The Buffaloes are playing a role in other important college football markets.
At BetMGM, Colorado-Baylor is the third-most bet game in tickets to go over the total this week. With a total of 50.5, 52% of the bets are on the over, but 65% of the money has come in on the under.
At ESPN BET, the numbers are even more skewed toward the under as 85.7% of the bets and 90.8% of the handle think the combined score will fall below 54.5 points.
DraftKings has seen mostly over action as 70% of the bets and 66% of the money are leaning in that direction.
As for the Heisman Trophy winner market, Hunter continues to be an interesting option for bettors. According to a FanDuel report, at +3,000 to take home college football’s top individual honor, Hunter’s tied with Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava (+900) as the two most popular players. Hunter is getting 11% of the bets and 12% of the handle while Iamaleava, who faces Oklahoma in a game-of-the-week type showdown, has seen 10% of the Heisman market bets and 12% of the handle.
