Colorado is a 9.5-point favourite on the NCAAF odds.

Point Spread and Betting Analysis

Normally, an FCS school against a power conference team would see a massive spread, but North Dakota State isn’t any FCS program with 17 national titles. In its first season under Coach Deion Sanders, Colorado was one of the early stories of the 2023 season with a 3-0 start, but the Buffs had just one more victory the rest of the way. Deion definitely brings buzz to the program but might be more hype than substance. 

The Pac-12 disintegrated after last season with Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State among those leaving and now in the Big 12 – a return home for the Buffs after initially leaving the conference for the Pac-12 following the 2010 season. They have an over-under win total of 5.5 this year.

It’s the first-ever meeting between North Dakota State and Colorado, and most power schools won’t dare to schedule the Bison because they are so good. It will be their first game in the state of Colorado since a victory at Colorado State in September 2012. The Bison are 3-1 all-time against Big 12 opponents with their last victory over Iowa State in 2014. 

North Dakota State Bison

NDSU is an annual participant in the FCS playoffs and won five straight national championships from 2011-15. The Bison have added four more titles since, last in 2021. They finished 11-4 last year and lost in the FCS semifinals in double overtime. However, North Dakota State is starting over at head coach as Matt Entz left for Southern Cal as linebackers coach and assistant head coach for defence. He was 60-11 in five seasons as NDSU’s head coach with two national championships. Entz has been replaced by Tim Polasek, who is back at NDSU for the third time in his coaching career. Most recently, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Wyoming from 2021-2023. The last four NDSU head coaches have won their first game at the helm.

The Bison have won eight straight season openers. They were picked No. 2 in both major FCS preseason polls behind two-time defending national champion South Dakota State. Quarterback Cam Miller is among the returning starters from 2023 and has started 38 straight games since the middle of the 2021 season. Last year, Miller completed a school-record 72 per cent of his passes with 19 touchdowns and four interceptions. He may break several career school passing marks this year as Miller is ranked fourth in passing attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns while leading in passing completion per centage (67.4). NDSU is 6-1 ATS in its past seven road games. 

Colorado Buffaloes

Coach Deion Sanders likes to do things his own way, that’s for sure, and arguably no FBS school had as much roster turnover in the offseason with about 50 guys transferring out and nearly that many coming in. But Sanders brings back two of the best players in the country – both followed him from Jackson State ahead of last season — in quarterback and son Shedeur Sanders (+3500 for Heisman Trophy) and defensive back/receiver Travis Hunter (+5000). Both should be Top 10 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, and Sanders could go first.

Last year, Sanders led the nation in second-half passing yards per game, was the only QB with more than six TDs and no interceptions in the fourth quarter and had 11 fourth quarter TDs and on third-and-10-plus. Sanders was also 5-for-5 passing on fourth downs with two TDs. Overall, he set school records for most passing yards, completion percentage, TD-to-INT ratio and interception per centage.

Hunter was the first player in at least 25 years nationally to have at least 50 receptions and three interceptions – despite missing 3.5 games due to injury. He won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player. Sanders added two new coordinators this offseason — Robert Livingston on defence and Pat Shurmur on offence — as well as several other new position coaches. Colorado enters on a six-game ATS losing streak. 

Score Prediction

Colorado 31, North Dakota State 24