Colorado Buffaloes Odds: Are Deion Sanders & Co. Bowl Game Bound?
Most wrote him off. Some called his recruiting tactics crazy and just about everyone bet Under 3.5 on the Colorado Buffaloes' win total. Sixty minutes of football later, Deion Sanders looks like a genius.
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.
College football odds tabbed the Buffaloes as +20.5 point underdogs and most people gave them very little chance to hang around.
Not only did the Buffaloes cover the spread, but they won the game outright behind incredible individual performances from Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.
Not to be overlooked was the coaching of Deion Sanders.
Most wrote him off. Some called his recruiting tactics crazy and just about everyone I spoke with bet Under 3.5 on the Buffaloes' season win total.
Sixty minutes of football later, Sanders looks like a genius and most experts are eating crow.
Even 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 bowl game odds
Odds as of September 6, 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. The Buffalos are now -120 to get to that coveted six-win mark and 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 showed incredible poise and execution on offense, racking up 565 total yards, of which 510 came through the air. Sanders had four touchdown passes and no interceptions, while Hunter played 144 snaps (80 defense, 64 offense) and hauled in 11 passes for 119 yards. It should be 12 with this incredible interception:
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 2, 2023
While that's amazing in its own right, I find it hard to believe it's sustainable for the duration of the season.
If we look at the remaining 11 games for the Buffaloes, they've got Nebraska up next on Saturday with Colorado State waiting in the wings in Week 3, followed by Oregon and 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.
If the defense is going to give up 40+ every week, the Buffaloes simply won't be able to outscore their opponents all season long -- or maybe they've managed to flip the spread from +7.5 to -2.5 in their favor for the Week 2 game vs. Nebraska.
My best bet: Colorado to make a bowl game: No (-120)
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Colorado College Football Playoff odds
Odds as of September 6, 2023.
So let's call a spade a spade here and just come out and say 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 +1,000 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 there is no official line on the "No", it's the only option as far as the Buffaloes and the CFP go.
My best bet: Colorado to make College Football Playoff: No
Shedeur Sanders Heisman finalist odds
Odds as of September 6, 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.
While he likely won't throw for 500+ yards every game, he will be the focal point on offense and everything the Buffaloes do will be because of him.
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 +10,000? One bettor seems to think so:
— Covers (@Covers) September 5, 2023
My best bet: Shedeur Sanders Heisman finalist: Yes (+300)
