The Colorado Buffaloes finished last year with a 1-11 record and were still the most talked about team heading into their Week 1 matchup against last year's College Football Playoff finalists, TCU.
Not only did the Buffaloes cover the spread, but they won the game outright behind incredible individual performances from Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.
For an encore, the Buffaloes dismantled Nebraska in front of their home crowd to improve their record to 2-0.
Sportsbooks have repositioned themselves in such a way that they can use the Buffaloes' momentum to get some extra action on markets that were not offered before the start of the season. We're talking updated season win totals, bowl game odds, college football odds, and even Heisman odds for Sanders.
I break it all down for you below.
Colorado season win total
| Over | Under |
|---|---|
| 6.5 wins (-165) | 6.5 wins (+140) |
Odds as of September 12, 2023.
The Colorado Buffaloes entered the season with a win total of 3.5, so appearing in a bowl game was supposed to be an afterthought. After a 2-0 start, the Buffaloes are now listed at Over 6.5 wins (-165) which means they have an implied probability of 62.2% to appear in a bowl game for just the third time in the last 15 seasons. It's crazy to think that all they needed to do was bring in a head coach who's a master motivator and exudes confidence.
From a pure football perspective, the Buffaloes have showed some incredible poise on both sides of the football. They rank eighth in total yards per game (558), second in psasing yards (453), 27th in points (40.5) and T13 in third-down conversion rate at 57.6. Plays like this from Shedeur Sanders will definitly help:
Shedeur Sanders is INSANE. ????
— MR Sports Media ™ (@MRFootballElite) September 9, 2023
Colorado up BIG against Nebraska. pic.twitter.com/C36S2k5vMh
If we look at the remaining 10 games for the Buffaloes, they've got Colorado State up next on Saturday followed by a trip to Oregon and then home to USC. That looks to me like a 3-2 start before we get into October, which has them play four of the last seven games on the road including at UCLA, at Washington State, and at Utah to close the season. Stanford and Oregon State at home are no gimmes either.
I believe the biggest indicator of how good this team can be will be this week as they are -23 point favorites over Colorado State. Its one thing to win football games when nobody expects you to, but it's another to win games by three touchdowns.
My best bet: Colorado sesaon win total: Under 6.5 (+140 at DraftKings)
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Colorado College Football Playoff odds
| Yes | No |
|---|---|
| +1,400 | -4,000 |
Odds as of September 12, 2023.
I give full credit for the Buffaloes coming out hot to start the season with two impressive wins, but let's call a spade a spade here and just come out and say it. The Colorado Buffaloes will not make the College Football Playoff. Even if they had a chance, this line should be priced far higher than the +1,400 being offered.
As I mentioned above, the Buffaloes will be hard-pressed to get to six wins and a bowl game, so what makes you think they're going to essentially run the table (or finish with one loss) with a schedule that sees them take on Oregon, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, and then finish the season off with Utah?
Coach Prime can only motivate them so much before the step up in class is too extreme for the Buffaloes to handle.
While I don't recommend laying -4,000, "No", is the right option as far as the Buffaloes and the CFP go.
My best bet: Colorado to make College Football Playoff: No (-4,000 at DraftKings)
Kentucky: Sports betting is coming!
Kentucky sports betting will launch on September 28 — but you can pre-register now!
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Shedeur Sanders Heisman finalist odds
| Yes | No |
|---|---|
| +250 | -400 |
Odds as of September 12, 2023.
This might be my favorite bet out of all three categories.
Sanders is a legit quarterback who has tremendous talent, a high football IQ, and an arm that can make every throw in the books.
He shredded the TCU defense for 510 yards and four touchdowns, while not turning it over, and put his guys in a position to win the game.
What did he do for an encore? Only torched a Big 10 defense for 393 passing yards, two touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.
Coach Sanders will continue to run the up-tempo offense and aim for the maximum number of plays he can squeeze out per game.
If Sanders can play solid, and pull off another couple of upsets (they're going to need it based on my selections above), he could find himself in New York as a Heisman finalist in early December.
Could he win the damn thing with Heisman Trophy odds of +1,000? One bettor seems to think so:
The Shedeur Sanders hype train is REAL. ????
— Covers (@Covers) September 5, 2023
One bettor @FDSportsbook really likes his Heisman odds. pic.twitter.com/BGwbl0vj02
My best bet: Shedeur Sanders Heisman finalist: Yes (+300)
