Colorado vs. North Dakota State – Prediction, 8/29/24, College Football Picks

The Colorado Buffaloes and North Dakota State Bison face off at Folsolm Field on Thursday in Week 1 of college football. We'll look at it from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here's a Colorado vs. North Dakota State prediction.

Can Colorado avoid the surprise?

Deion Sanders has made sure Colorado is the talk of college football this offseason, but none of that will matter if they lose this game. If they lose this game, there will be some early rumors about whether this team is led by the right coach.

Shedeur Sanders is Colorado's quarterback and one of the better quarterbacks in college football. Last season, the line didn't protect him at times, but we're hoping that will be different this year. The running backs look very different, but Dallan Hayden, who transferred from the Ohio State Buckeyes, is getting plenty of opportunities, and the outside line is all about Jimmy Ward and Travis Hunter, both of whom could become All-Americans this season.

Colorado is also hoping for big improvements in defense. The star of the show is Travis Hunter, but he will need some help from the others. Shilo Sanders and Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig are back in the secondary and both are under enormous pressure. Colorado will face Nebraska after this game.

Can NDSU pull off the surprise?

Usually, Power Five teams don't take NDSU because they're afraid of an upset, but this NDUS team believes it can pull it off. Last year, NDSU finished 11-4 before losing in the FCS semifinals. NDSU has a lot of its talent back from last season, but has also lost some key players. Three of the starters on the offensive line are gone, and on a team that usually relies on a strong offensive line, that could be a big problem.

However, the quarterback duo of Cam Miller and Cole Payton is back and expect big games from both of them here. Last season, the Bison averaged 237.3 yards per game on the ground and much of that is thanks to the quarterback's play.

On defense, this is a veteran-led team and the pressure will be on the defense to be good here. The top four tacklers from last year's team are back and in this game they will have to try and force some turnovers. If they can do that, they will be in good shape to be competitive here.

Why North Dakota State will beat Colorado

• Colorado has lost eight of its last nine games.
• The underdog has covered the spread in five of Colorado's last six games.
• Colorado has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five games against non-FBS teams.

Prediction for Colorado vs. North Dakota State

Give me North Dakota State here and give me the money line. College football is a team game and NDSU is the best team. Sure, Colorado may have the better individual players, but I don't think Colorado's defense will get many stops in this game. This is an elite NDSU run offense and they will have no trouble running up the score here. This Colorado offense will have a few bad turnovers and NDSU will take them out of the game late. Bet on North Dakota State against the spread.