Colorado vs. Arizona live stream, how to watch online, TV channel, kickoff time, odds, prediction

Deion Sanders and Colorado look to get back on track towards bowl eligibility when they host No. 21 Arizona on Saturday. The Buffaloes have dropped five of their last six games after a 3-0 start to the season and need to win two of their final three games to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2016.

Colorado is coming off a 26-19 loss to Oregon State to drop to 4-5. The Buffaloes struggled to find a groove on offense following the midseason switch to Pat Shurmur as the team's play-caller from offensive coordinator Sean Lewis. 

As for Arizona, they come into this matchup as one of the hottest teams in the Pac-12. The Wildcats are riding a three-game winning streak and became bowl eligible last weekend with a 27-10 win over UCLA. Arizona has beaten three consecutive top-25 opponents and will head to a bowl game for the first time since 2017. 

How to watch Colorado vs. Arizona live

Colorado vs. Arizona: Need to know

Protecting Shedeur Sanders is the priority: Just like any week, the biggest key to victory for Colorado is keeping Sanders safe. The Buffaloes have allowed 46 sacks this season, which ranks second-worst in the FBS behind Old Dominion. Sanders has been sacked 11 times during Colorado's last two games, and he appeared to be banged up in the second half of last weekend's game because of the constant pressure allowed by the Buffaloes offensive line. Arizona, meanwhile, ranks No. 5 in the Pac-12 in team sacks (23). 

Arizona's quarterback switch: Let's rewind to the opening weekend of Pac-12 play when the Wildcats unintentionally transformed their season. With starting quarterback Jayden de Laura unavailable due to injury against Washington on Sept. 30, coach Jedd Fisch turned to freshman Noah Fifita, who's been one of the top performing quarterbacks in the country since that moment. In five games, Fifita has thrown for 1,521 yards and has a 14-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. The Wildcats' quarterback for the present and future has been a major reason why the program has caught fire in recent weeks.

A must-win for Colorado: When the Buffaloes got off to a 3-0 start, they not only looked destined to secure a bowl game berth but potentially finish with a winning record for only the second time in the last 18 seasons. Colorado will have to win out to achieve that goal, starting with Arizona this weekend. In order to reach a bowl game, Colorado will have to beat two of Arizona, Washington State and Utah to close out the season. With the final two games being on the road, Saturday feels like a must-win if the Buffs want to achieve that benchmark.

Colorado vs. Arizona prediction

Odds via SportsLine consensus

Arizona elected to stick with the hot hand at quarterback, which appears to be one of Fisch's best decisions. As for Colorado, it elected to go away from Lewis as the play-caller despite ranking near the top of the conference in almost every offensive category. That decision may not necessarily cost the Buffaloes in the long run, but it's not helping. Arizona has played as good as anybody the last month. It should cover this line easy. Arizona -10.5 

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