College Football Betting Preview: Colorado vs. Oregon

Week 4 of the college football season is loaded, with multiple ranked games featuring top-tier opponents looking to make a statement in their respective conferences. One game that fans and bettors will be watching Saturday is the No. 19 Colorado Buffaloes going on the road to play the No. 10 Oregon Ducks (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

This will be the first conference tests for both schools, who have enjoyed a 3-0 start to the season. The Buffaloes defeated in-state rival Colorado State 43-35 in double OT last weekend. Shedeur Sanders added another Heisman moment to his catalog, throwing for 348 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception.

As for the Ducks, they are coming off an impressive 55-10 home win over Hawaii last weekend. Oregon has outscored their opponents by 42.3 points per game this season. Bo Nix, a Heisman Trophy candidate too, completed 21-of-27 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns in the blowout win. 

Nix will try to have a stellar outing against a Buffaloes defense that produced four takeaways against Colorado State. The Ducks are 21-point home favorites against the Buffaloes, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

Below we’ll break down this exciting Pac-12 matchup and provide bettors with our best bet.

Colorado vs. Oregon

Spread: Colorado +21 (-110); Oregon -21 (-110)
Moneyline: Colorado +650; Oregon -1000
Total: Over 70.5 (-108); Under 70.5 (-112)

The last time we saw the Buffaloes on the road, they upset then-No. 17 TCU 45-42 in Week 1. Colorado got a tremendous performance from their offense. But the defense struggled to stop the run, allowing 262 yards and four touchdowns. 

In the following week’s game against Nebraska, the Buffaloes’ defense again got mauled on the ground, allowing 222 rushing yards and a touchdown. However, Colorado also produced four takeaways, which helped them pick up a 36-14 home win. The Buffaloes’ run defense must hold firm heading into this week’s game, as Oregon is producing 229.3 rushing yards per game this season. 

Now granted, Oregon has played Portland State and Hawaii to start this season, who aren’t world-beaters. But the Ducks had a tough road game against Texas Tech Sept. 9, where they won 38-30 and had 113 rushing yards. 

If the Ducks can pick up yards on the ground with RBs Bucky Irving and Jordan James, it will open up the passing game for Nix. This season, Nix has completed 77.6% of his passes for 893 yards and eight touchdowns.

Last week, the Buffs allowed three Colorado State pass catchers to have 100-plus receiving yards. However, Colorado’s defense got four takeaways (including a pick-six), and Colorado State had 17 penalties for 182 yards.

Defensively, Oregon will look to make things uncomfortable for Sanders, who was sacked four times in last week’s game against Colorado State. The Ducks have only produced six sacks this season. But Oregon has done an excellent job of holding opponents to 37.04% on third-down conversions (51st in the NCAA). 

Therefore, it will be imperative for Sanders and Co. to have manageable second and third-down situations Saturday. One way to do that is by running the football, which hasn’t been a strong suit for the Buffaloes this season (61 yards per game). 

However, Colorado will be getting a notable boost in the backfield with Houston transfer RB Alton McCaskill IV, who missed last season with a torn ACL. As a freshman in 2021 with the Cougars, McCaskill recorded 1,074 total yards and 18 total touchdowns. McCaskill and Dylan Edwards will try to make some inroads against an Oregon defense that allows 127 rushing yards per game. 

Colorado has proved a lot of their doubters wrong this year and has already shown us that they can cover a 20-plus point spread. As for Oregon, many bettors might be tempted to take them on the spread because of the injury to Travis Hunter and their explosive offense (587 yards and 58 points per game). 

However, the Ducks are 3-5 against the spread as double-digit favorites since last season. I expect Nix and the offense to put up yards and points. But don’t sleep on the Buffaloes to put up points with their offense, as wide receivers Xavier Weaver and Jimmy Horn Jr. are standout stars on the outside.

Best Bet

Colorado +21