The North Dakota State Bisons and Colorado Buffaloes will open the season on Thursday at Folsom Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 PM ET (ESPN). Below, we break down BetMGM Sportsbook's lines on North Dakota State vs. Colorado odds, along with predictions and predictions from our college football experts.
North Dakota State finished last season with an 11-4 record and lost 31-29 in double overtime to Montana in the FCS semifinals. The biggest move of the offseason was the return of Wyoming offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tim Polasek as head coach. Polasek served in multiple roles at North Dakota State from 2006-2012 and 2014-2016.
Colorado, with coach Deion Sanders, QB Shedul Sanders and WR/CB Travis Hunter, improved from a 1-11 record (1-8 in the Pac-12) in 2022 to 4-8 (1-8 in the Pac-12) in their first year last year. Bettors will be hoping Colorado, now back in the Big 12, continues its upward trend, with the Buffaloes being the second-biggest favorites to win the national championship at +15000 (bet $100 to win $15,000) with BetMGM Sportsbook.
– Rankings: U.S. LBM Coaches Poll conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports
Stream select college football games live and full replays: Get ESPN+
North Dakota State vs Colorado odds
Courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. For the complete list, visit the USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds Hub. Lines last updated at 12:06 a.m. ET.
Money Line (ML): North Dakota State +290 (bet $100 to win $290) | Colorado -375 (bet $375 to win $100) Against the Spread (ATS): North Dakota State +10 (-115) | Colorado -10 (-105) Over/Under (O/U): 60.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
North Dakota State vs. Colorado Predictions and Forecasts
prediction
Colorado 38, North Dakota 31
Money Line
Colorado (-375), which beat TCU, Nebraska and Colorado State last year, is unlikely to lose to an FCS team in its home opener, but betting 10 points in this situation is too much, especially considering the favorite was 0-4 in Week 0.
Pass. Bet the spread and/or total instead.
Preventing the spread
Colorado went 1-2 ATS last year as a home favorite, and while recreational bettors don't typically change the line, I worry that this spread is a bit inflated due to public hype for the Buffaloes.
Colorado already proved last season that it has a penchant for playing to the level of its opponents, even in a small sample size, and North Dakota State is by far one of the toughest teams to beat among FCS programs.
Bet on North Dakota State +10 (-115).
Over/Under
This total started at 58.5 points, so it’s not the best number here, but a two-point move isn’t too bad when betting on same-day totals.
The over was 4-2 in Colorado home games last year. The Buffaloes proved to be an unreliable team that couldn't be stopped last season, allowing only 34.8 points per game, good for 119th nationally (out of 133 teams) according to TeamRankings.com.
Bet on 60.5 (-115) or more.
Join and win free Pick'em Challenges every day! Play now!
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Corey Scott Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire Twitter/X Like us on Facebook.
College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Duke / Florida / Florida State / Georgia / Iowa / Kentucky / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / UCLA / USC / Washington / Wisconsin / Recruiting / Transfer Portal / College Football Playoff / College Sports Wire / High School
Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators by referring viewers to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over, and such revenue is not in any way dependent on or linked to, our newsrooms or news coverage. Terms and conditions apply. Please see the operator's site for terms and conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), or 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). You must be 21 years of age or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to follow the applicable laws where you live.
