Deion Sanders brought excitement to the University of Colorado’s football program during the offseason, revamping the roster with dozens of transfer portal additions. That excitement wasn’t shared by oddsmakers, who set the team’s 2023 win total at 3.5 games.
Through two weeks, however, “Coach Prime’s” team has far exceeded the betting market’s preseason expectation.
Sanders has Colorado sitting at 2-0 with wins over TCU and Nebraska, and the Buffaloes are ranked 18th in the latest AP Top 25 Poll. Colorado went just 1-11 last season, so the Buffaloes have already surpassed their 2022 win total in just 120 minutes of on-field action.
The Buffs are also a perfect 2-0 against the spread, beating TCU straight up as a three-touchdown underdog and easily covering as a short favorite in a 36-14 triumph over Nebraska.
“Colorado has proved the doubters wrong and showed that they are a much better football team than most everybody, including oddsmakers, believed heading into the season,” Action Network contributor Chase Howell told Sports Handle.
Entering Week 3, sports betting odds reflect Colorado’s hot start, as the Buffaloes are 22.5-point home favorites over Colorado State. ESPN’s College GameDay will visit Boulder for the matchup.
“It’s what we expected,” Sanders said Saturday of the team’s success and surrounding hype. “It sounds kind of boastful. At the risk of sounding arrogant, we truly expect that, and that’s why those kids come. They want the biggest stage, and they’re getting that every darn week.”
Dramatic odds shift
Before the season, multiple mobile sportsbooks listed Colorado’s season-long win total at 3.5 games. FanDuel has now set the team’s current win total at 6.5, with -162 odds for the over.
Sanders has switched the perception of his program from a possible Pac-12 bottom feeder to a likely bowl team. Colorado looks the part of a top-25 team, leaning on an electric offense led by quarterback (and Deion’s son) Shedeur Sanders and an opportunistic defense to defeat two respectable programs.
“There are some key factors that people just straight-up overlooked,” Howell said. “Shedeur Sanders has been elite. He’s amassed over 900 yards passing with six touchdowns and no interceptions through two games. If you paid attention to the program in the offseason, so many people were raving about his abilities, but the national media didn’t pick up on it.”
Despite offseason skepticism from nearly everyone, the perception of Colorado has rapidly changed. The team’s conference and national title futures have shifted dramatically since the summer.
A BetMGM spokesperson shared with Sports Handle that the Buffaloes opened with +30000 odds to win the national championship. The team’s odds have now dipped to +8000.
Nearly 10% of national title futures bets at BetMGM have been placed on Colorado, which is the second-most of any team in the nation. The BetMGM spokesperson told Sports Handle that Colorado is the sportsbook’s biggest national championship liability.
As for the team’s Pac-12 odds, DraftKings listed Sanders’ team at +10000 to win the conference in June. As of this week, Colorado is +1800 to win the league at DraftKings, the same odds as No. 24 UCLA.
Heisman hype
Shedeur Sanders transferred from Jackson State to Colorado when Deion took the coaching job at Colorado. The young quarterback has thrived through two weeks, throwing for 903 yards and six touchdowns without tossing an interception.
No FBS player is averaging more passing yards per game (451.5) than Sanders, who’s completed 77.5% of his passes and is averaging an impressive 10.1 yards per attempt.
“The key to this offense is the weapons at receiver,” Howell said. “Jimmy Horn Jr. and Xavier Weaver are elite college receivers, and that sometimes allows teams to forget about Travis Hunter Jr. and Tar’Varish Dawson. Offensive coordinator Sean Lewis is able to scheme ways to get them open by utilizing a lot of air raid concepts. You will see a lot of mesh and four verticals. Shedeur is brilliant at reading a defense and knowing where he’s supposed to go with the football.”
Sanders’ Heisman odds are as low as +1200 (PointsBet), the fifth-shortest of any player. He’ll have plenty of chances for “Heisman moments” in the coming weeks, as Colorado faces Oregon and USC on Sept. 23 and Sept. 30, respectively.
Hunter, who is playing both receiver and defensive back for the Buffaloes, is also a Heisman contender. The two-way player has odds as short as +1500 at Caesars Sportsbook to win the award. Deion Sanders is thrilled about Hunter’s early season success — he has 14 catches for 192 yards to go with seven tackles and an interception — and plans to continue using him on both sides of the ball.
Colorado’s Travis Hunter has allowed just three receptions and played 137 snaps on defense. He has 14 receptions on 135 offensive snaps. He’s averaging 41 snaps per game more than the next FBS player.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) September 11, 2023
“You gotta understand everybody who is critical of that and saying, ‘Well, he’s gonna tire and he’s gonna do that,’ shoot, they can’t cook and answer the phone at the same time,” Sanders said. “I don’t subscribe to that foolishness because that’s who Travis is. … He’s special.”
Letdown coming?
Howell says one of the biggest remaining concerns with Colorado is the team’s running game. While Sanders has been stellar through the air, the Buffaloes rank 124th nationally with 56.5 rushing yards per game.
“Through two games, the Buffs have not shown an ability to get three to five yards per carry every run,” Howell said. “If they have to grind out a game late in the fourth quarter, will they be able to run the football? Look out for Alton McCaskill IV to help with this issue. He hasn’t played yet after recovering from a torn ACL in 2022. He scored 18 touchdowns as a freshman in 2021 and was one of the most highly sought-after transfer portal players in the country.”
McCaskill hasn’t played yet this season, but the Houston transfer could realistically see the field before the end of September, according to reports.
Colorado Football in 2022 vs. 2023.
What a difference a year makes. pic.twitter.com/z7yR52Swfv
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) September 9, 2023
Colorado has vastly exceeded expectations so far. For that to continue, the Buffaloes will need to weave their way through one of the toughest conferences in the country. That won’t be easy, but through two weeks, Colorado looks like a possible Pac-12 title contender.
“Eight teams in the Pac-12 just got ranked in the Top 25, the most in conference history,” Howell said. “It’s going to be a gauntlet for the Buffs. But I believe as long as Shedeur Sanders can stay healthy, this team can beat anybody.”
FanDuel lists Colorado as a 14.5-point road underdog for its Sept. 23 game at Oregon.
