Sunday Doubleheader
By Judd Hall
I hope you’re not done with college football as we’ve still got a pair of televised games left to watch this Sunday during the Labor Day weekend. It all starts in land of blue suede shoes with the Tigers hosting Ole Miss. Then we’ll finish off the day with the Rocky Mountain Showdown between the Rams and Buffaloes.
Ole Miss at Memphis – 3:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN
The betting shops aren’t making too many bones about who is the favorite for this contest. They have installed the Rebels as 17-point road favorites with a total of 54 ½.
Houston Nutt is going to have his work cut out for him this year after how he started his tenure in Oxford. Ole Miss went 9-4 straight up in 2008 under Nutt, including wins over the Gators in the regular season and Red Raiders in the Cotton Bowl. Even bettor for the gambling public is that the Rebs went 10-3 against the spread last year. The four setbacks on the slate were by a combined 19 points (no worse than seven), which gives fans a reason to be optimistic in 2009.
A lot of the Rebels’ success this season is going to ride on how well Jevan Snead performs under center. The former Longhorn completed 56 percent of his passes for 2,762 yards and 26 touchdowns. Those are numbers rivaled only by the likes of Matthew Stafford and Tim Tebow.
Ole Miss will once again employ the “Wild Rebel” with Dexter McCluster at the point. He’s definitely an all-purpose kind of player, as evidenced by 655 rushing yards and 625 receiving yards with seven scores.
While the Rebs are looking to keep going strong, Memphis is just hoping not to get off to such a rocky beginning. The Tigers opened the 2008 campaign with three straight losses, covering the spread just once. But they picked it up with six wins in their final nine regular season tilts to get back to a bowl game. Bettors didn’t get rich on this club as they went 5-5 ATS.
The Tigers are well stocked at quarterback with Arkelon Hall slated to start. If Hall should fail, Will Hudgens (who is on the Dan Dickau college plan) will be ready to pick up the slack.
What will be a challenge for Memphis in this game is how well they can defend the run. Last year, they allowed 4.7 yards per carry. That is the exact same average YPC that the Rebs had for 2008. The Tigers do have reason to be confident that they can hold Ole Miss back on the ground with juco transfer Justin Thompson anchoring the defensive line now. Their secondary will get a much needed boost with DeRon Furr starting after sitting out ’08 because of transferring from Auburn.
The Rebels have controlled this series recently by winning eight of the last 10 meetings. Memphis has been profitable during that stretch though as they’re 5-3 ATS in the past eight head-to-heads.
If you’re thinking about playing the Tigers for the upset win, you might want to know that they are 0-7 SU the last seven times they were listed as double-digit home underdogs. They are, however, 5-2 ATS in those meetings.
Colorado State vs. Colorado – 7:00 p.m. EDT, Fox Sports Net
Is it do or die this year for Dan Hawkins in Boulder?
That is a question that has been raised over the summer about the Buffaloes’ head coach. It’s fair to ask since Colorado hasn’t had one winning campaign in the three seasons Hawkins has been at the helm. Plus, it doesn’t help that he never won fewer than eight games when he was running Boise State from 2001 to 2005.
There is reason to believe Colorado will have bounce back this season. For one thing, a lot of key players are coming off of injuries that hurt the team last season. The biggest return for the Buffs is sophomore guard Ryan Miller, who has 11 career starts under his belt.
Miller will help anchor an offensive line that averages 290 pounds per starter. That’s going to be helpful for running backs Darrell Scott and Demetrius Sumler, who’ll be tasked with keeping the offense moving on the ground.
The Buffs are going to be employing a two-headed quarterback system with Cody Hawkins and Tyler Hansen. Hawkins is quite capable of running the no-huddle attack that Colorado employs. However, Hansen can throw the ball and has the mobility to recover yardage from a broken play.
Regardless of who Colorado lines up under center, they should feast upon a defense that is starting a brand new defensive line like the Rams possess. Colorado State’s stopping unit allowed 410.1 yards per game, bad enough to rank 96th in the nation.
All is not bad for the Rams on defense. They have a reasonable chance of improving against the pass after surrendering 220.00 YPG through the air. Gerard Thomas and Nick Oppenneer return this season to anchor the cornerback position.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened this game up with the Buffs being listed as 10-point favorites with a total of 54 at Invesco Field in Denver. Colorado is now listed as an 11-point “chalk” with the total going anywhere from 54 down to 51½.
This series has been owned by the Buffaloes, winning 58 of the 77 head-to-head meetings. In recent history, Colorado is 6-4 SU and 4-6 ATS. The ‘over’ is 6-4 in that stretch.
Bettors should know that Colorado State has not fared well as a heavy pup. The Rams are 1-12 SU and 5-8 ATS when posted as double-digit underdogs.
vegasinsider.com
Sunday's NCAAFB Action
By Sportsbook.com
The opening weekend of college football season is by no means over, despite the completed full lineup of games on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Sunday and Monday both boast two game slates, all of the rivalry nature.
On Sunday, highly touted Ole Miss visits Memphis as a 16.5-point road favorite, and Colorado hosts Colorado State, also as double-digit chalk. Bettors are backing both favorites at last checked on Sportsbook.com.
OLE MISS at MEMPHIS
This will be the sixth straight time these teams that are separated by a mere 85 miles will start a new campaign matched against one another. Ole Miss is the sexy SEC West pick, led by QB Jevan Snead. Going from trendy underdog to flashy front-runner has sidetracked more than one team in the past. Mississippi is 29-11 ATS in non-SEC action. Coach Tommy West has found success in Memphis, but wants to play in the C-USA title game this season. Pulling a massive upset would get people talking about a team that is 17-9 ATS as home dog and 18-12-1 ATS vs. the SEC.
COLORADO ST at COLORADO
Even if you include last year’s 38-17 drubbing by Colorado, the last seven matchups in this in-state rivalry have been decided by 6.5 points per game. Coach Dan Hawkins believes his team could compete for Big 12 North, if injured players return and the offense gels. This is a meaningful year for coach Hawkins, who is 13-24 (14-21 ATS) at Boulder. Colorado State had surprising 7-6 campaign with a bowl victory and looks to build on solid season. Easier said than done without established QB and only 5 starters back on defense. This rivalry returns back to campuses with the Buffs 17-4 in home openers, however, they have dropped their last seven ATS.
(8) Ole Miss at Memphis
Ole Miss opens the season with its highest ranking in 40 years as the Rebels travel to the Liberty Bowl to face traditional opening-game foe Memphis in a non-conference matchup.
After opening the 2008 season 3-4, Ole Miss won its final six games (5-1 ATS), averaging 37 points a contest, capped off by a 47-34 win over then-No. 8 Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl, cashing as a 3½-point ‘dog and vaulting the Rebels to No. 14 in the final poll. Houston Nutt’s squad did pull off the biggest shock of the 2008 season, upending eventual national champion Florida 31-30 in Gainesville, Fla., as a 23-point underdog on Sept. 27.
Jevan Snead returns at QB for the Rebels after tossing 26 TDs and 13 INTs a season ago. During the six-game winning streak, he threw 16 TD strikes and just three INTs.
Memphis dropped its first three games of 2008 (1-2 ATS), but rebounded to win six of its final nine (4-3-1 ATS) and qualify for the St. Petersburg Bowl where the Tigers were beaten up by South Florida 41-14, coming up short as 10½-point underdogs.
Back under center for Memphis is QB Arkelon Hall who threw 12 TD passes and seven INTs a season ago, but carrying the bulk of the Tigers’ offensive load will be junior RB Curtis Steele, who ran for 1,223 yards in 2008 and was the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year.
Ole Miss leads the series with Memphis 46-10-2 SU, winning 13 of the last 17 meetings, including each of the last four season-openers (2-2 ATS). Last year, Ole Miss scored a 41-24 over the Tigers as a 9½-point home chalk after eking out a 23-21 victory in Memphis back in 2007, coming up just short as a 2½-point favorite. The pup has cashed in five of the last six in this rivalry.
The Rebels are on ATS runs 14-4 overall (including five straight), 5-0 in non-conference games and 7-1 on the road, but they are on ATS slides of 6-13-1 as a favorite, 7-19 in September and 0-4 as road chalk. Memphis is just 1-5 ATS in its last six non-conference contests, but 7-2 ATS in its last nine home games as a ‘dog of 10½ points or more.
Ole Miss has topped the total in its last four non-conference games, but stayed under the number in five of seven overall, eight of 11 as a favorite and nine of 13 on the road. The Tigers are on “over” streaks of 6-2 at home and 4-1 as a home ‘dog.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OLE MISS
Colorado State at Colorado
The Rocky Mountain showdown is in prime time tonight as Colorado State travels to Boulder to take on the instate rival Buffaloes in this traditional season-opening matchup.
First-year coach Steve Fairchild led the Rams to a 7-6 mark (7-5 ATS) in 2008, finishing on a high note by beating Fresno State 40-35 as a two-point underdog in the New Mexico Bowl. Colorado earned the bowl berth by winning its final two regular-season games after dropping five of seven (3-4 ATS) in the middle portion of the campaign.
The strength of the Colorado State offense is the line that has five seniors with 129 career starts under its belt. They will be blocking for QB Grant Stucker, who made a push for the starting nod a season ago before losing the battle to then-senior Billy Farris.
The Buffs were 5-7 (4-7 ATS) in 2008, but things went downhill in a hurry for coach Dan Hawkins after a 3-0 (2-0 ATS) start, as CU lost seven of its last nine both SU and ATS. The defense fell apart late in the season, allowing each of its last five opponents to score 24 points or more.
Colorado finished dead-last in the Big 12 in total offense in 2008 and last in scoring. There is a QB controversy between incumbent QB Cody Hawkins (the coach’s son) and Tyler Hansen. Dan Hawkins is not naming a starter until game time, but it’s believed the edge is with Cody Hawkins, who threw for 1,892 yards, 17 TDs and 10 INTs last season.
The Buffs have cashed in each of the last two meetings with the Rams, including last year’s 38-17 win as 12½-point favorites in Denver, where this matchup had taken place in nine of the last 11 meetings. It was the first time since 2001 this rivalry was decided by more than seven points. The pup is 10-3 ATS in the last 13 clashes.
Colorado State went just 2-5 ATS on the road in 2008 and 1-4 ATS as a visiting ‘dog. Meanwhile, in addition to failing to cash in seven of its final nine games a year ago, Colorado is just 1-7 ATS in its last nine as home favorite of 3½ to 10 points.
The Rams have topped the total in four straight on the road, six of seven overall, and four of five as a pup. The Buffaloes are on “under” runs of 5-2 overall and 11-3 in non-conference games, but they have gone over the number in eight of 11 as a favorite, nine of 13 against Mountain West Conference teams and six of eight as a home favorite.
Finally, the over is 9-4 in the last 13 matchups in this rivalry.
ATS ADVANTAGE: COLORADO and OVER
Gametimepicks.com
Rebels Hunt Tigers
By SportsPic
Ole Miss returns sixteen starters from a squad that averaged 32.1 points/game behind QB Jevan Snead finishing the campaign 9-4 with a cash stuffing 9-3 mark in lined games. Rebels closing the season on a six game run (5-1 ATS) including a 47-34 Cotton Bowl win over then-No. 8 Texas Tech hope to live up to their highest ranking in nearly 40 years when they travel to Memphis looking for a fifth straight season-opening win over the Tigers. Snead (2762 PY, 26 TD) with plenty of weapon at his disposal in WR Shay Hodge, WR Dexter McCluster, RB Brandon Bolden, RB Cordera Eason could do serious damage in the opener. As for Memphis, they return twelve starters including QB Arkelon Hall from a squad that notched a 6-7 (5-6-1 ATS) campaign it's second losing season the past three years. Tigers, however face the challenge of replacing four offensive linemen leaving their pivot under a lot of pressure. Rebels winning 7 of the past 9 meetings (4-5 ATS) have been pegged a whopping 17 point road favorites for the contest. Trends of interest : Rebels are 6-2 ATS last eight laying DD, 5-2 ATS L3Y's vs non-conf foes. Tigers are 4-2 ATS L3Y's in September, 4-0 ATS as a home dog of 14.5+ points.
Ole Miss at Memphis
The No. 8 Ole Miss Rebels hope to live up to their highest ranking in nearly 40 years beginning Sunday when they travel to Memphis looking for a fifth straight season-opening win over the Tigers. Ole Miss enters the 2009 campaign with lofty expectations following a 2008 season that saw the Rebels finish the year on a six-game winning streak, which included a 47-34 victory over No. 8 Texas Tech in the AT&T Cotton Bowl.
Memphis has been one of the most consistent bowl teams in Conference USA with five appearances in the past six seasons, but expecting the Tigers to get to the post season this season appears to be asking a bit much. The Tigers use a hurry-up spread offense which keeps defenses on edge and gets a lot of plays off from the line of scrimmage. The passing game uses a wealth of screens and curl patterns for high percentage, short gain plays, that reduce sacks allowed, and keeps the O-Line fresh.
Quarterbacks:
Much of the Rebels preseason hype surrounds Jevan Snead, a former top recruit at Texas who sat out the 2007 season after transferring. It took Snead a while to get going in Nutt's offense but when he did, he evolved into one of the country's most impressive signal-callers. Snead threw 16 touchdown passes and three interceptions in the final six games of his sophomore season, and he's the preseason All-SEC second team quarterback behind Florida's Tim Tebow.
Memphis will bring back experience and depth at quarterback. JUCO transfer, senior Arkelon Hall will start. He should be improved from last year, he is athletic and strong armed but inconsistent. Hall completed 57.0 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions last season, his first as a starter.
Edge: Ole Miss
Running Backs:
Dexter McCluster RB/WR ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in rushing yards, receiving yards, receptions and all-purpose yards. McCluster will team with Cordera Eason who rushed for 647 yards and three touchdowns.
Memphis features Curtis Steele, a junior college transfer who ran for 1,223 yards in 2008 and was named Conference USA's newcomer of the year. Steele had 83 yards on 15 carries against the Rebels last season. Steele had seven 100 yard games in 2008.
Edge: Ole Miss
Wide Receiver:
The Wild Rebel offense will also rely heavily on the play of Dexter McCluster and Shay Hodge, two of the top play-making threats in the SEC. McCluster (see above) with Shay Hodge who currently stands as the SEC active career leader in receptions (103), receiving yards (1,511) and touchdown receptions (14).
Memphis has a nice group of receivers, headed by the 6’8” Carlos Singleton and Duke Calhoun who has caught a pass in 37 consecutive games. While they are a talented duo they only caught eight touchdown passes last season.
Edge: Ole Miss
Defense
The Ole Miss Rebels will enter the season fielding one of the most aggressive defensive lines in college football, led by star defensive end Greg Hardy. This Ole Miss unit figures to be deeper and more talented as a whole this season. Hardy is unquestionably the best of the bunch, and many NFL scouts have tagged him as a potential Top 10 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. The Rebels will return six players that saw extensive time during the 2008 season, a season that saw Ole Miss win nine games, including a stunning upset of the eventual National Champion Florida Gators. Not by coincidence, the Rebels' defensive line played its best game of the year against Florida.
Memphis will have three new starters on the defensive line but the coaches profess confidence in what they have. DE Jada Brown and Greg Terrell need to step it up this season. Linebacker Greg Jackson should be on of the best at his position in the league. Transfers from LSU (Derrick Odom) and Mississippi State (Jamon Hughes) fill out the Linebacker spots. Three starters return in a secondary unit that had only seven interceptions in 2008. They must be more opportunistic this season.
Edge: Ole Miss
Special Teams
Josh Shene gives Ole Miss one of the best place-kickers in the nation. Shene converted 17 of 21 field goals and all 52 of his extra points. He leads all active SEC players with 42 field goals. Marhay Green will return punts again after ranking sixth in the SEC in that category.
Matt Reagan is back for Memphis as punter and placekicker. Raegen combined with Vinny Zaccarrio to make 14-19 field goals last season. The return units need an upgrade, but the coverage teams look to be solid. Edge: Ole Miss
With the strength of Ole Miss being the defensive line and the weakness of Memphis being the offensive line, it is hard to imagine that Memphis will have much success moving the ball and scoring. Ole Miss might have trouble moving the ball on the ground, as Memphis appears to be big, talented, and deep along the defensive line and at linebacker. Ole Miss will have to exploit Memphis’s patchwork secondary in order to move the ball consistently on offense. With Jevan Snead delivering the ball to a myriad of talented receivers, large and small, fast and strong, it is hard to imagine that Ole Miss will not be able to move the ball and score on offense.
Betting Trends:
Ole Miss is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games
Memphis is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 non conference games
The UNDER is 9-4 in Ole Miss’s last 13 road games
The UNDERDOG is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings between the two teams
Colorado State Rams vs. Colorado Buffaloes
By Who2BetOn
Dan Hawkins hopes to start his fourth year at the helm in Boulder on a good note when his Buffaloes host the instate rival CSU Rams.
The Week 1 battle between the Colorado State Rams (7-6, 8-5 ATS in 2008) and Colorado Buffaloes (5-7, 4-8 ATS in 2008) has arrived, only this time, it won’t be played at a neutral venue. Instead, this one goes down ion Boulder. CSU made its way back to a bowl game for the first time since 2005 last year, and made the most of it by knocking off the Fresno State Bulldogs in the highly entertaining New Mexico Bowl. As for Colorado, they sat and watched the bowl season from the sidelines after failing to win the mandatory six games.
Bookmaker.com currently has the host Buffaloes installed as 10-point favorites with the game ‘total’ set at 51.5; it’s the fifth straight in the series in which CU has been tabbed the favorite by oddsmakers.
Colorado State returns just as many starters (12) as they did a year ago in HC Steve Fairchild’s first year at the helm. He parlayed his returning talent into a 4-4 MWC season and 5th place finish. Even though he returns just as many starters as a year ago, the losses are heavy. Gone is his starting QB and stud RB, but most important, five of his defensive front seven have moved on making the Rams defense very green heading into this season. That’s a terrible sign considering they allowed 30+ PPG and over 400 total YPG last season.
Colorado must have thought they made a great hire when they brought Dan Hawkins in after he helped put Boise State on the college football map. It just hasn’t rounded into form however as the Buffs highest season win total has been six under his watch, and they’ve gone bowling just once, and lost. The alumni, boosters, and fan base hope the fourth year will be the charm. Nine starters return on the offensive side of the ball, including QB Cody Hawkins (coach’s son) and stud RB Darrell Scott. The WR corps has its top two pass catchers back, and the O-Line looks to be Hawkins’ best unit since his arrival. The “D” only returns four starters, but it’s more like seven with former starters returning from injury. Hawkins is on the hot seat, and no one wants to lose their job in this economy. Look for the Buffs to come out looking to roll this evening!!!
This will be the 82nd overall meeting between these rivals. Colorado holds a commanding 59-20-2 SU mark in the series. Until last year’s blowout, each of the previous six meetings in this rivalry had been decided by an average of just 4.2 PPG. The underdog is 10-3 ATS the L/13 meetings, but CSU is a very poor 3-9 ATS its L/12 when installed a road underdog.
Tips and Trends
Colorado State at Colorado
Colorado State: The Rams won more games in 2008 than they had during the two previous seasons combined. Fifth-year senior Grant Stucker is the new starting quarterback replacing the departed Bill Farris, who threw for 2,934 yards and 19 touchdowns last year. Stucker has minimal experience, but the Rams have the most experienced offensive line in the country with their senior-laden first-unit having had 125 combined starts. Colorado State, though, is missing five of its seven defensive front starters from a year ago. Colorado won last year’s game at neutral site Denver, 38-17. It was the most lopsided defeat in the series in the past seven years. The biggest margin of victory during the previous four years had been by four points. The underdog has covered 10 of the last 13 in the series. The Rams are 6-2 against the spread during the past eight years in their first road game.
The Over has cashed in 6 of the Rams’ last seven games.
Key Injuries - Guard Shelley Smith (ankle) is questionable.
PROJECTED SCORE: 20
Colorado (-10, O/U 51.5): Colorado is a disappointing 13-24 during the three years former Boise State coach Dan Hawkins has been in charge of the program. The Buffaloes suffered 11 season-ending injuries during a disappointing 5-7 season last year. Colorado covered just two of its last nine games. Colorado has won 16 of 21 times in this rivalry, which began in 1983. However, the Buffaloes are 8-12-1 against the number. Colorado is 2-10 against the spread as a non-conference home favorite of less than 20 points. Home field advantage definitely should help for this in-state rivalry. The Buffaloes have a deep rushing attack headed by Darrell Scott. They’ll try to exploit a weak Colorado State run defense that gave up an average of 185 yards rushing per game last year and a 5.2 yards per carry. The key for Colorado is how its young defensive line fares against Colorado’s State experienced offensive line.
The Under is 11-3 in Colorado’s last 14 non-conference outings.
Key Injuries - Defensive end Nick Kasa (knee) is doubtful.
PROJECTED SCORE: 31(Side of the Day)
What bettors Need to Know: Sunday’s NCF action
By Doc’s Sports
Game: No. 10 Mississippi Rebels at Memphis Tigers (+17.5, 54.5)
Line Movement
The line opened at 17 at most sportsbooks before falling to 16 a week before the game. But as the game approached the line climbed back to 17, and even 18 at some places. The total has stayed steady at 54.5.
Weather
The weather could be a factor as scattered thunderstorms and plenty of rain is expected during the day at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
Recent series
It has been all Ole Miss recently in this series with the Rebels winning eight of 10 dating back to 1995. This is also the 10th time the SEC school is the favorite in the last 11 head-to-head matchups. The over is 4-2-1 in recent meetings between Ole Miss and Memphis.
Who can we trust?
Football and basketball at Memphis have next to nothing in common. The football team coasts season to season, occasionally posting enough wins to reach a bowl game that it usually loses. Marquee wins are not a staple of this program.
Then there is Ole Miss. Everybody remembers the Rebels historic upset at Florida in the swamp as 23-point underdogs last season. What most people forget is what happened the week before and the week after that. Ole Miss lost straight up at home against Vanderbilt before the Florida upset and at home against South Carolina the week after the upset. But the season ended on a high note for Ole Miss supporters with the program winning 31-13 at LSU in late November and then 47-34 over a hot Texas Tech team in the Cotton Bowl.
Trends
While Memphis is 4-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last six meetings against Ole Miss, a more pertinent trend involves what Ole Miss has been able to do away from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. In the Rebels last eight games on the road or at a neutral site they are 7-1 ATS, including the previously mentioned program-changing wins against Florida, LSU and Texas Tech.
Houston, we have progress
After being jettisoned out of Arkansas, Houston Nutt has turned Ole Miss around almost overnight. The results have been seen by Rebel fans and Rebel bettors alike. After posting dismal straight up (SU) records of 4-8 and 3-9 in 2006 and 07, and ATS records of 5-4 and 6-5, respectively, the Rebels turned things around in a hurry last season going 9-4 SU and 9-3 ATS.
Key Players
Ole Miss QB Jevan Sneed
The 6-foot-3, 215 pound junior originally committed to Florida, then enrolled at Texas where he played one season and then last season he found himself at Ole Miss. It’s funny how things worked out for all the parties involved. Tim Tebow has become a legend in Florida, Colt McCoy is perhaps the top passer in the country now at Texas and Snead finds himself on the cusp of stardom in Oxford, Mississippi. He passed for 2,762 yards last season and threw 26 touchdowns. He will be a game-changer this season and perhaps a Heisman contender if Ole Miss can take care of business in the SEC.
Memphis RB Curtis Steele
Las Vegas is expecting a shootout and for the Tigers to hold up their end of the bargain Steele, a former JUCO transfer and 1,223-yard rusher a year ago, needs to pile up the yards and help out the passing game. He averaged an impressive 5.6-yard per carry but his offensive line this year is suspect.
Game: Colorado State Rams at Colorado Buffaloes (-10, 51)
All-time series
Since the Rocky Mountain Showdown began in 1893 between Colorado and Colorado State, it has been all Buffaloes, who own a 58-19-2 series record against their in-state rivals. Colorado State has held its own recently, winning four of the last 10 games.
Two teams, two directions
Colorado finished last season going down in flames, losing seven of its last nine with plenty of blowouts mixed in. There was no bowl game to speak of for the five-win Buffs. On the other side of the state, Colorado State was busy winning three of its last four to reach the New Mexico Bowl, which it also won, 40-35, over Fresno State.
Home, sweet home
The Showdown has been played at a neutral site for most of the past two decades but this year it takes a break from INVESCO Field at Mile High and returns to Colorado’s home field, Folsom Field.
The last time the game was played at Folsom, in 2004 and 2005, Colorado won both games but the Rams more than held their own, losing by just a field goal each game and covering the spread both times.
Trends
Staying on the Folsom Field thought, the Rams have been a solid bet on enemy soil. They are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games at Colorado. Overall the underdog has fared well in this series, going 10-3 ATS in the last 13 showdowns.
The over has hit in nine out of 13 meetings between these two teams.
Key Players
Colorado RB Darrell Scott
Scott, coach Dan Hawkins’ top recruit a year ago, is poised to take over as the feature back in the Buffs backfield. A sophomore out of Tallahassee, Florida, Scott rushed for 339 yards on 88 carries last season when Rodney Stewart was receiving the bulk of the carries. The passing game is suspect but the offensive line is a team strength. That should set up a big year for the tailback this season.
Colorado State WRs Rashaun Greer and Dion Morton
Quarterback Billy Farris is gone as is leading rusher Gartrell Johnson III. The progression of the offense will occur at a much faster pace if playmakers Greer and Morton step up and improve on their numbers from last season.
Greer hauled in 63 passes for 1,114 yards and Morton was a quarterback’s best friend in the red zone, leading the team with 10 touchdown receptions. Greer burst on the scene last season in his debut against Colorado with eight catches for 70 yards. Against the Buffs Morton caught four passes for 53 yards and a touchdown.
Weather
No precipitation is expected and the temperature will be around 55 degrees.