The Colorado Buffaloes were one of the Pac-12 Conference’s surprises in 2020 and kick off their 2021 campaign at 9 p.m. ET Friday by welcoming the Northern Colorado Bears, of the Football Championship Subdivision, to Folsom Field in Boulder. Below, we look at the Northern Colorado-Colorado odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
First-year CU coach Karl Dorrell earned Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Buffs to a 4-2 finish in the COVID-19-addled 2020 season. The campaign, though, ended with back-to-back double-digit losses to Utah and Texas, the latter coming in the Alamo Bowl, and Dorrell and Co., are now starting anew with redshirt freshman quarterback Brendon Lewis taking the reins.
Lewis, though, will have capable help in RB Jarek Broussard, the reigning Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, and 2020 second-team All-American linebacker Nate Landman, who tore his Achilles tendon in the December loss to Utah.
At least CU played actual games in 2020. Northern Colorado, of the Big Sky Conference, saw COVID wipe out its 2020 season, and after electing not to play in the spring, the Bears will be playing Friday for the first time in 650 days.
Northern Colorado has a second-year college head coach in former NFL wide receiver and winning Colorado high school coach Ed McCaffrey. His son Dylan will start at quarterback after transferring from Michigan — one of 17 FBS transfers on the Bears roster.
Northern Colorado at Colorado odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 2:35 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Northern Colorado +1700 (bet $100 to win $1,700) | Colorado -100000 (bet $100,000 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Northern Colorado +37.5 (-107) | Colorado -37.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 56.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Northern Colorado at Colorado odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Colorado 41, Northern Colorado 14
Money line
It’s a hard PASS here as we’re not laying -100000, and we’re not getting near enough corresponding value on the decisive underdog at +1700.
Against the spread
Siding with a team that hasn’t played in nearly two years and is picked to finish last in its 13-team FCS conference sounds like a frightful proposition on the road against a Pac-12 foe.
However, with the inexperienced CU quarterback and all the uncertainties of opening against an almost completely unknown opponent, we’ll bank on NORTHERN COLORADO (+37.5, -107) and its influx of FBS talent to keep things close enough.
Over/Under
For most of the reasons above, we expect a feeling-out process on both sides for much of the opening 30 minutes of this contest. Lewis and the Buffs will take charge in the second half but look for the UNDER 56.5 (-110) to just slide in.
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