The Colorado Buffaloes visit the Colorado State Rams Saturday in Fort Collins for a Week 3 rivalry matchup, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and CBS on the broadcast. Colorado opened as a 7.5-point favorite on the spread, and that number grew to -9 but has settled back at around a touchdown. The over/under line is 58.5 points, and Colorado State is getting odds of +220 or longer to win.
Some high-profile players are involved in this matchup, which produced a 43-35 overtime thriller last season. Colorado stars Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter drew some early action in the Heisman futures market, but their odds have lengthened following the Buffaloes’ 28-10 loss at Nebraska in Week 2. Colorado State handled Northern Colorado last weekend, yet the Rams weren’t remotely competitive in their opener, a 52-0 loss to Texas.
Below, we’ll preview some of the player props available for this college football Week 3 rivalry bout. We also cover a sportsbook promotion from BetMGM Sportsbook. Feel free to check out all Colorado sportsbook promos here.
Colorado vs. Colorado State player prop tool
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Player props for Colorado vs. Colorado State
How Shedeur Sanders could get over 320.5 passing yards
As mentioned, this game turned into a shootout last year, with Sanders passing for 348 yards on 49 attempts in a double-overtime win. The Buffaloes got into several shootouts early last season, with Sanders topping 320 yards in four of their first five games, and he opened this season with 445 yards against North Dakota State.
While Nebraska’s defense stifled Colorado’s offense last weekend, Heisman candidate Travis Hunter still caught 10 balls for 110 yards, proving that he can get open against any coverage. Colorado State’s defense is a closer comparison to that of North Dakota State’s, as the Rams ranked 98th of 133 FBS teams in points per game allowed (29.6) last season. CSU gave up 260 yards to Quinn Ewers and 95 yards to Texas second-stringer Arch Manning in its opener for a total of 355 passing yards allowed.
How Shedeur Sanders could get under 320.5 passing yards
With a weakening offensive line and a limited rushing attack to keep defenses honest, Sanders is exposed to the pass rush, which could lead to an injury that prevents him from finishing the game. Offensive line struggles are nothing new for Colorado, as the Buffaloes allowed Sanders to get pressured on 37% of dropbacks last year, per Pro Football Focus.
Being one-dimensional may allow CSU to invest more resources in pass defense and bracket Hunter whenever possible. We saw predictable play-calling hurt Colorado’s offense during the second half last season. Sanders averaged 345.2 passing yards per game over his first eight starts in 2023. Opponents then held him to 241.3 passing yards per game over his last three full starts, and he was under 320.5 passing yards in five of his last six starts.
How Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi could get over 251.5 passing yards
Last year, Fowler-Nicolosi matched Sanders and Colorado throughout the double-overtime bout, finishing with 367 passing yards and three touchdowns, along with three interceptions. The sophomore struggled in the team’s opener this year against Texas along with the entire Rams offense, then cruised to 202 passing yards in a comfortable win over Northern Colorado.
The pace and power of Colorado’s offense should force CSU into a more aggressive offensive game plan this Saturday. Fowler-Nicolosi averaged 295.8 passing yards per game at home last season, with much higher efficiency than he demonstrated on the road. He has a good rapport with senior receiver Tony Horton, who burned Colorado for 133 yards in last year’s meeting.
How Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi could get under 251.5 passing yards
Fowler-Nicolosi threw the most interceptions (16) in the Mountain West last season, including three at Colorado. That didn’t stop him from posting big yardage numbers, but poor decision-making could cost him in the rematch. The CSU coaching staff might be taking a more conservative offensive approach this season after all those turnovers last year. The Rams rushed 39 times versus 27 pass attempts in their win last week and ran Justin Marshall 25 times in Week 1 despite trailing from wire-to-wire in Texas.
Lockdown cornerback Travis Hunter could shadow Tony Horton, forcing Fowler-Nicolosi to look toward less proven receivers. The Buffaloes’ pass defense was actually stingier on the road last season, holding opponents to 261.2 passing yards, compared to 292.5 yards allowed in home games.
