North Dakota State vs Colorado Player Props & Best Bets: Sanders Starts Slowly

Prop bet #1: Shedeur Sanders Under 305.5 Passing Yards

-115 at BetMGM

There were a lot of reasons why Colorado finished last season 1-7. Shedeur Sanders’ arm wasn’t one of them. Prime Time’s son threw for 3,230 yards with 27 touchdowns while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes. This despite getting sacked a nation-high 52 times. 

Deion knew he had to remake his offensive line this offseason, so he hit the transfer portal hard and also got one of the top offensive tackle recruits in the country. However, it remains to be seen if this new unit will gel in Week 1. 

The other thing Coach Sanders did was make former Cleveland Browns and New York Giants head coach, Pat Shurmur his offensive coordinator. This seems to imply that the Buffs will attempt to run a more pro-style offense and run the ball more regularly. 

Now, the matchup with North Dakota State. While this isn’t the team that won nine national titles in 11 seasons, they are still going to be strong in the trenches, have a senior quarterback in Cam Miller, and employ a power running game. It's the type of game that gave Colorado fits last season.

The Bison should also have a strong pass rush and a solid secondary. All this to say, I think we could see more running, and longer possessions in this game. This means getting Over 305.5 passing yards could be tough for Sanders on Thursday night. Particularly for a guy who went Over this number just twice in his last eight games.

Prop bet #2: Charlie Offerdahl Over 30.5 Rushing Yards

-115 at BetMGM

This bet follows the same line of thinking as the last one. Colorado knew it must do a better job of protecting Shedeur Sanders. And the Buffs can do that with a revamped offensive line and running the football more.

Enter Charlie Offerdahl. The junior running back is one of the few players remaining on the team from prior to the Prime Time era in Boulder. He was a walk-on in 2021 and rushed for 150 yards on 37 carries in 2022. Then he was limited to special teams and spent much of the second half of last season injured.

However, he was named Colorado’s Player of the Spring in April and was offered a scholarship. More recently, he’s reportedly looked great in practice and has been named the Buffs starting running back heading into this game against North Dakota State.

And while the Bison are generally strong when it comes to their play in the trenches, in their biggest games last year they had the most trouble with teams that could pound the rock. Now, I don’t think Colorado is going to necessarily play like Montana State, but if they are committed to running a more balanced offense in 2024, Offerdahl should have a great chance to go over this number in this matchup.

Prop bet #3: Cam Miller Anytime TD

+140 at BetMGM

If North Dakota State is able to keep this game close it’s because it was able to run the ball effectively, extend drives, and play the clock control game. This is basically what the Bison do best and was one of Colorado’s biggest weaknesses a year ago.

The Buffs were the ones getting trampled last season and ranked 95th in opponent yards per rush and 117th in defensive success rate vs. the run when all was said and done.

Now they’ll have to deal with North Dakota State senior quarterback Cam Miller, who is definitely a dual-threat QB. Miller has rushed for 1,190 yards and scored 28 touchdowns on the ground over the last two seasons. 

And with the Bison having to replace their top running back and top two receivers it won’t be a surprise to see Miller try and shoulder more of the load in this matchup and I really like his chances of finding the end zone on Thursday night.