Entering the final week of the college football regular season, the Colorado Buffaloes are tied for first place in the Big 12 standings with three other teams: BYU, Arizona State and Iowa State. CU will be the only one of those four to play on Friday, so it can send a message to everyone by beating the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Oklahoma State limps into Friday’s matchup at 3-8 (0-8 Big 12) with a new face leading its offense. Freshman quarterback Maealiuaki Smith is expected to start his second career game after relieving the injured Garret Rangel and the ineffective Alan Bowman. Last week, Smith carved up a weak Texas Tech defense, but he’ll now face a more talented CU defense, which is looking to rebound from an uncharacteristic performance at Kansas.
The Cowboys’ biggest struggles come on the defensive side of the ball. That unit began the year with two preseason All-Big 12 linebackers in Collin Oliver and Nick Martin, but injuries have kept both sidelined since September. Oklahoma State’s defense allows an average of 34.1 points per game, the second-highest mark in the Big 12.
I expect CU to bounce back from its Week 13 loss to the Jayhawks and handle the Cowboys at Folsom Field (10 a.m. MT on ABC).
Final score prediction: Colorado 42, Oklahoma State 24
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