Colorado vs OSU NCAA Football Odds
The Oregon State Beavers are set to host the Colorado Buffaloes in a matchup between two pass-heavy offenses. This won’t be a heavily-covered battle on the national level, but it will provide a lot of entertainment to those who like watching the ball fly through the air without much defense.
Colorado (2-0) @ Oregon State (3-1)
Saturday, Sept. 28, 3:00 PM ET @ Reser Stadium
Moneyline: Colorado +360, Oregon State -460 (via GTBets.eu)
Spread: Oregon State -11.5
O/U: 60.5
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Entering Saturday’s contest, the Beavers are 11.5-point favorites. Colorado could catch lightning in a bottle, but up to this point, its success has been a result of a fairly light schedule.
Colorado
The Colorado Buffaloes won one game during the 2012 season. Entering Week 5 of 2013, the team is 2-0, and while their competition has been soft up to this point, any wins are good wins for this rebuilding program.
Last week the Buffaloes were supposed to face their first real opponent—the Fresno State Bulldogs—but the contest was ultimately postponed. That gives the team fresh legs heading into its battle with the Beavers, but it also means OSU will be its first real test.
Thus far, Colorado has established the pass extremely well. It’s seventh in the nation in yards per game, and as a result, it’s averaging 39.5 points per contest. The problem is that it’s completely one dimensional, as it is just 110th in rushing yards per game.
Against the Beavers, Colorado must do two things. First and foremost, establish the run. Oregon State’s defense has struggled up to this point, and getting the running game going will make it difficult for the Beavers to hone in defensively. The other thing the Buffaloes must do is put up a similar defensive performance to what they’ve done in their first two matchups against Colorado State and Central Arkansas. OSU has a much more powerful offense than those two teams, but the Buffaloes must adjust if they stand a chance at walking away with a victory. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Oregon State
The approach for the Beavers is going to be similar to Colorado’s plan of attack. The Beavers are the third-best passing team in the country, but their coaching staff has admitted that they must stick with the run if they’re going to find success. You can only be one-dimensional for so long, and a good time to get out of a slump is against a lower-tier conference opponent.
Also like the Buffaloes, the Beavers must prove that their defense can hold up against more than just non-conference warmups. We saw in Week 1 the struggles it endured against an FCS opponent, but slight improvements since then should lead them to a solid showing at home against Colorado.
The truth is that Oregon State must continue making those improvements if it wants to fare well late in the season. Tackling in space is going to become more important as they face better athletes, but Colorado should prove to be a subpar opponent at this juncture.
Oregon State is debatable as a Pac-12 North contender, but it all starts now against the Buffaloes. Mike Riley should have his team ready to play, and barring another disaster like they saw in Week 1, expect the Beavs to take care of business.
Score Prediction: Oregon State 35 – Colorado 21
