CFB: Colorado vs Washington State Odds Analysis
The Buffs have lost four straight, but have covered three of their last four games.
The Colorado Buffaloes (4-6 / 1-6 ) have already met preseason expectations, but the faithful’s vision of a bowl game has become blurry after a 34-31 loss to the Arizona Wildcats. With a 6-3-1 ATS record, you can feel this program is close to a postseason game, even if it isn’t this year. Like their opponent, the Washington State Cougars (4-6 / 1-6) dropped a 42-39 decision against Cal after trailing 42-24 with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The final score was decided with 5:23 left in the game. The Cougars are a 4.5-point favorite with a total of 64. Kick-off is scheduled for Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT and can be seen on FS1.
We start our Colorado vs Washington State odds preview with a look into the Buffaloes from a betting perspective.
Colorado vs Washington State 
Day/Time: Location: Martin Stadium
If Only There Was Some Protection
Most of the time, when a team is not winning games, the deficiency can be traced back to the offensive line. The Colorado numbers aren’t the worst regarding sacks allowed (2.4 per game), but think about how many more there would be if Shedeur Sanders were just a little less athletic. There have been multiple hits that don’t get registered as a sack, not to mention being hit 48 times as a runner.
Through it all, ‘Mini Neon’ has never completed less than 60 of his passes in a single game and has not thrown a pick in three straight. He is directly responsible for bettors finding consistent success with Buffaloes tickets, including NCAAF players who took over the Colorado season win total. Their 6-3-1 ATS mark has been a massive upgrade over their 2-10 ATS mark last year.
On the road, the Buffs are 2-1-1 ATS. In their brief history, Colorado is 2-5 ATS since 2011 against Washington State, 1-3 ATS as a visitor. We continue our Colorado vs Washington State odds preview by turning the spotlight to WSU.
Cougars Not Good Enough At The Little Things
There was a time when the Cougars were 4-0 and owned a spot in the top 25. Since that point, WSU has lost six straight games, while covering just once in those losses. This, in many ways, is a soft football team that relies on its offense to overshadow its defensive mistakes and even the offense has found a way to average a fumble a game.
They will have plenty of chances against Colorado to put points on the board, but as bettors, can we rely on the 103rd-ranked defense to come up with enough stops to cash a ticket? That question may not be answered until the final whistle, but we do know that the Cougars have the third-best passing attack in the country and are likely very tired of hearing about the circus that is coming to Pullman. We conclude our Colorado vs Washington State odds preview with our official selection.
As Expected, Here Comes The Colorado Cash
After seeing the opening number as high as -5 in some spots, there was no way that Colorado money wouldn’t follow, and that’s precisely what happened. There are a few 4.5s out there, but mostly, the number has settled down to -4 after 70% of the money wagered was on the Buffs. Over under betting saw 83% of early wagers coming in on the under, but 64 has been a stable send-out number. That total seems right on, but the spread is a bit of a trap with a defense that will get lit up against WSU.
We still think Deion Sanders needs to grow as a coach, a reflection of hardly ever winning the third quarter after halftime adjustments. Colorado is 122nd in the nation in third-quarter defense, allowing 8.1 points per game in the 3rd frame, with the national average at six points per game. There will be a point in the future where College Football brackets will feature both of these programs, but for now, we’re going against the public in this one. Lay the points with one of the more intriguing College Football betting lines this week.
For NCAAF betting news and odds analysis on NCAAF, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
