Colorado vs Colorado St
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
What better way to start a football season than with a little instate rivalry. That is exactly what is going to take place when the Colorado Buffaloes and the Colorado State Rams square off on Saturday. The game will be played at neither school’s home field, as the two teams signed a ten year deal to play at Invesco Field in Denver. The Rams upset the Buffaloes in 2009, winning 23-17.
Colorado finished up the 2009 season at just 3-9, but are hoping for a big turnaround in 2010 with 17 starters back, including ten on the offensive side of the ball. As for Colorado State they also finished the season at 3-9 in 2009, but have much less experience back, as they have just 12 starters returning.
If you are interested in betting on the game this weekend, BetUS currently has the Buffaloes 12 point favorites over the Rams with the over/under sitting at 46 points.
The Buffaloes should make some really nice improvements on the offensive side of the ball with those 10 starters back, and it looks like the Buffaloes are going to go with junior Tyler Hansen at quarterback over senior Cody Hawkins, as Hansen really played well in spring practices. With all five starters back on the offensive line, I think the guy to watch out for is junior running back Rodney Stewart, who should greatly improve on his 804 yards and 9 touchdowns last year. The Buffaloes defense should also be improved with seven starters back, but I don’t think they make the same kind of strides that the offense makes this season.
The Rams will start freshman Pete Thomas at quarterback, and they are really excited to see what he has to offer. The Rams also add UCLA transfer Raymond Carter into the starting lineup at running back, and I believe he is going to step up and take over the running game this season. The problem for the Rams offense is they have just one starter back on the offensive line, and that is never a good thing to have with a freshman taking over at quarterback.
Looking at the Odds: When you simply look at the talent each of these two teams have, I think the clear edge goes to Colorado, but many times that doesn’t play as big a role in rivalry games, as there is no question these two teams are going to play this game like its their last. I personally like the Rams to cover the spread, as four of the last five have been decided by seven points or less. As for the total, I think we see a good share of points scored in this one, as I like the total to go well over the 46 point mark the oddsmakers have set.
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