2023 Colorado Football Predictions – How Many Games Will Deion Sanders’ Buffs Win?
- The Colorado Buffaloes are entering year one under new coach Deion Sanders
- Oddsmakers have set Colorado’s win total at 3.5, with odds favoring the under
- Read below for 2023 Colorado football predictions, plus betting analysis
This 2023 Colorado college football team is one with a ton of intrigue. Obviously, when you hire a head coach with the name value of Deion Sanders, you are going to have a ton of eyes on you.
Last year, the Buffaloes were not so good (understatement of the year), as they went 1-11, and 1-8 in the Pac-12. They had one of the worst offenses in all of college football, and were somehow even worse on defense. Now, with Sanders reshaping the roster, what are the oddsmakers expecting from the Buffs? Well, let’s get into it.
Their CFB win total over/under as of the time of this writing is at 3.5 (which is down from 5.5 earlier in the offseason), and their odds to win the Pac-12 are +14000, which is second-worst in the conference.
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Colorado 2023 Season Outlook
Pretty much everything is different about Colorado from last year to this year. Along with Sanders taking over as head coach, they have an entirely new coaching staff as well, with new offensive and defensive coordinators.
And now Colorado officially has hired Deion Sanders as its head coach. pic.twitter.com/8An3gQ2iSN
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 4, 2022
Sanders also dramatically reshaped the entire Colorado roster in just one offseason as head coach as well. Their 2023 roster is pretty much unrecognizable when compared to the 2022 roster, especially when you look at the top players specifically. They landed a bunch of high-profile transfers, including Deion’s son at QB in Shedeur Sanders, but also a 5-star DB in Travis Hunter, RB in Alton McCaskill IV, and DL Derrick McLendon II.
Previewing Colorado’s 2023 Offense
The abysmal Colorado offense that we saw the past two years is long gone, at least from a talent perspective, as Sanders was one of the top QBs in the FCS his two years starting at Jackson State. He is expected to run a fast-pace, high-octane offense for Colorado. At the skill positions, they have five transfers who have some potential intrigue.
At wide receiver, they brought in Travis Hunter (Jackson State), Xavier Weaver (USF) and Jimmy Horn Jr. (UFC), and at running back they brought in Kavosiey Smoke (Kentucky) and Alton McCaskill IV (Houston).
Among the offensive line, they return three starters from last year but also brought in six transfers who all started at the lower level last year. Considering how important continuity and experience is among the OL, expect this group to start slow and take some time to gel.
All-in-all, this Colorado roster certainly has the talent to make things interesting, but expectations should be kept in check, at least to begin the season due to all the moving parts.
Previewing Colorado’s 2023 Defense
This should come as no surprise, but a team coached by Deion Sanders is strong at the cornerback position. They have the top prospect at CB from the past two recruiting classes in Travis Hunter and freshman Cormani McClain. They also return starter from last year Trevor Woods at safety, so CU is counting on their secondary to be the strength of their defense.
❗️😱 Colorado Football is coming and those Prime Cleats are about to set the world on 🔥! Travis Hunter and Cormani McClain testing out the new shoes. Cormani rocking a new colorway we haven't seen! ITS DIFFERENT IN BOULDERhttps://t.co/9vP0ryrTQP
#SkoBuffs #WeComing pic.twitter.com/IguacWRmDW
— NoSkoZone (@noskozone) July 19, 2023
Aside from the talent in the secondary, Colorado is counting on a ton of new talent to improve upon the literal worst defense in all of college football last year, allowing 44.5 points per game. Including Hunter mentioned earlier, the Buffs will be relying on an astounding seven total transfers in their quest to become a significantly better defense.
Colorado 2023 Season Win Total Over/Under
| Wins | Odds |
|---|---|
| Over 3.5 | +130 |
| Under 3.5 | -150 |
Tracking Colorado’s win total over the course of the offseason has been interesting. Their win total opened up at 5.5 with the overpriced at -120, as detailed in our article when odds were released. Since December 7th, the win total has dropped two full wins down to 3.5, with the under heavily favored at -150 odds (60% implied chance).
Colorado Football Prediction + Betting Advice
Times are exciting in Boulder, Colorado, bringing in Primetime and a slew of new coaches/players, but the unfortunate reality is 2023 is not the year to bet on Colorado. Their Pac-12 odds of +14000 accurately reflect that they don’t have much of a chance, and their schedule isn’t easy.
Going off of preseason rankings, Colorado is going to play four teams ranked in the top-16, and even outside of those four games, it is hard to find enough wins to cash this over.
- Colorado Win Total Prediction: Under 3.5 Wins (-150)
BetMGM is currently offering the best odds for the under on Colorado’s win total. Sign-up with the BetMGM promo code to get -120 odds for this bet.
Matt Modi is a sports betting writer for SportsBettingDime. He offers his best bets for the NFL, NBA, NCAAF, & WNBA. Previously, Matt worked at OddsJam, where he covered all things sports betting. In his free time, Matt likes to take his two dogs for hikes in the Colorado mountains.
