Colorado at Kansas
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
This Saturday the Kansas Jayhawks and the Colorado Buffaloes will square off in Big 12 action, and one of these two teams is going to get their first conference win of the season. The Jayhawks lost 28-16 at Iowa State last week, while the Buffaloes got smoked at Oklahoma 43-10. Colorado came away with a 34-30 win when these two teams faced off last season, but the Buffaloes have lost their last two in Lawrence. If you are thinking about betting on the game this weekend, the current odds have the Buffaloes favored by 9-points over the Jayhawks on the road.
Colorado (3-5, 0-4 Big 12): The Buffaloes will try and snap a four game losing streak this week with a win over the Jayhawks, but it might be more of a challenge than you think. The Buffaloes are 0-3 on the road, and have been outscored 121-17 in those three games.
With starting quarterback Tyler Hansen out for the season, senior Cody Hawkins got his first start of the season last week against the Sooners. Even though Hawkins stepped in and played well at the end of the Texas Tech game, he really struggled against Oklahoma, completing just 17 of 44 attempts for 187 yards and a touchdown. The one bright spot is he didn’t throw an interception, and that’s pretty impressive considering he had 27 incomplete passes.
With the way Kansas has struggled against the run this season, I think you can expect a big game out of running back Rodney Stewart, who managed 85 yards on 19 carries last week against Oklahoma.
There is no question that Colorado has struggled defensively on the road this season, but they are facing a Jayhawks offense that hasn’t scored more than 16 points in Big 12 play all season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Jayhawks top that total this week, but not by much.
Kansas (2-6, 0-4 Big 12): The Jayhawks had the chance to really put the Cyclones in a hole early last week, but were forced to settle for three field goals instead of touchdowns and only held a 9-7 lead at half. Iowa State then turned up the offense, while the Jayhawks fell apart. Kansas added a garbage touchdown with seven seconds to go to make the score a lot closer than it actually was.
The Jayhawks simply don’t have the players on the offensive or defensive side of the football to get the job done. The Jayhawks are the 112th worst scoring offense, averaging just 16 points a game, and the defense ranks 100th, allowing 33 points a game.
With Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Missouri left on the schedule, this is the last chance Colorado has at winning a game this season, and if the players don’t get excited for that, they might as well not even show up for the rest of the year.
Looking at the Odds: As bad as Colorado has been on the road this season, I don’t see how you can put your money on this Jayhawks football team. Their 12 point loss to Iowa State was their closest conference game all season. Nothing really to play for if you are Kansas, while the Buffaloes still have a shot at getting to six wins and bowl eligibility. My final score prediction is Colorado 31, Kansas 17.
Got something to say?
