Bettors, gearing up for a college football season that’s a little more than two months, are beginning to believe in the Colorado Buffaloes.
Though the Boulder-based team finished 4-8 in coach Deion Sanders’ debut season in 2023, its 3-0 start and dynamic offense led by quarterback Shedeur Sanders has college football fans excited.
So much so that, according to BetMGM’s tally, Colorado is the fourth-most popular pick among bettors to win the 2024 National Championship, behind perennial powers Ohio State, Georgia, and Texas.
Odds favor Colorado exceeding 5 wins
With 20 online sportsbooks, Colorado online sports betting boasts one of the top industries in the US. In April, sports betting handle surpassed $500 million for the eighth straight month.
According to Fox Sports, the movement on Colorado has dropped their still-long odds from +20,000 to +12,500 to take home a national championship trophy.
“Bettors have been all over the Buffs, as 4.5% of the bets and 4% of the handle is on them to win it all, according to MGM.”
The only three teams with more tickets riding on them heading into August are the three most favored on the board, with Georgia currently sporting the best odds at +325, Ohio State right behind them at +375, and 2023 semifinalist Texas at +700. Notre Dame is also in the mix, with 3.7% of bets and 4.2% of handle on +2500 odds.
In total, 23 teams currently are favored ahead of the Buffaloes, with Wisconsin and Arizona also sharing +12,500 odds.
Sports Illustrated added:
“People are flocking to sportsbooks around the country to throw down money on the Buffaloes win total of 5.5. Notably, 63% of the bets and 71% of bettors favor Colorado to exceed this win total, according to BetMGM.”
BetMGM Colorado has odds at -145 for Colorado to surpass the 5.5 win total for the season, with +120 odds to end up below that mark.
For slightly more advantageous odds, DraftKings has Colorado at +25,000 to win it all and +3,500 to win the Big XII Championship in its first year without Texas and Oklahoma. It currently offers -130 odds for the over 5.5 win total vs. +110 to go under that threshold.
Bettors expect Shedeur to perform well in 2024
Even with 42 new transfer commits, bettors are banking on the younger Sanders to have a big year. In 2023, according to Fox Sports, “The star quarterback had a 69.3% completion percentage while throwing for 3,230 yards. He threw for 27 TDs and only three interceptions.”
It also notes that “at FanDuel Sportsbook, Sanders is +4,000 to win the Heisman Trophy (tied for 19th on the board) and +470 to be the 2025 NFL Draft’s first overall pick (second on the board).”
The quarterback told Complex Sports in November 2023 that he sees himself as a combination of Tom Brady and Michael Vick.
“Well, I’ll say it’s a mixture because I’m able to stay in the pocket and deliver the ball. I can play like Brady, but I’m also able to extend plays, and if it’s not there, take it like Vick. So, it just depends, it’s funny whenever situations in the game occur, they’re like, ‘hey, you gotta be Vick tonight. You gotta be Mike Vick tonight.’ So then that’s when we bring our legs.”
