Week one of the college football season is here. Colorado plays North Dakota State and Heartland College Sports has your game prediction, preview and betting odds ahead of the match up.
GAME INFO
Thursday, Aug. 29; 7 p.m. (CT); Folsmo Field; Boulder, Colo.
TV: ESPN.
Colorado vs. North Dakota State betting odds: Colorado -7, 58.5 over/under (odds from Action Network)
Records: (2023) Colorado, 4-8; North Dakota State, 11-4.
Last Week: Opening game for both teams.
Series History: This is their first meeting.
Last Meeting: This is their first meeting.
Fun Fact: Colorado is 31-20-2 in Thursday games, but has only played five Thursday games in the last 32 years. The Buffaloes’ most recent Thursday home game was against Arizona State in 2012. The contest will be Colorado’s first as a Big 12 members since leaving the conference after the 2011 season.
KEY PLAYERS
Away Team
OFFENSIVE PLAYER
QB Cam Miller
The Bison use two quarterbacks (Cole Payton is the other). But Miller is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the country at any level, as he enters his fifth season starting games for NDSU. Last year was his best, as he threw for 2,688 yards, 19 touchdowns and four interceptions, along with 629 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. His 169.1 passing efficiency rating was the best among FCS quarterbacks, per Pro Football Focus. He’s thrown for 6,470 yards and 48 touchdowns, along with 1,646 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns for his career.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
LB Logan Kopp
One could select any defender here. The Bison return nine players that started at least half of the season from 2023. But Kopp is the quarterback of this defense and is considered one of the top players at the position in FCS. He notched 85 tackles last year, along with 7.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions. He’s going to make plays at every level of the defense for a team where national title aspirations are the standard.
Home Team
OFFENSIVE PLAYER
QB Shedeur Sanders
He’s one of the top playmakers at the position and he’s coming off a statistically huge season in his first year with an FBS program. Last season he threw for 3,230 yards for 27 touchdowns and just three interceptions. In his three-year college career (the first two at Jackson State with his father, Deion Sanders) he has thrown for 10,193 yards and 97 touchdowns against 17 interceptions. He’s accurate and avoids mistakes down the field.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
LB Trevor Woods
The senior is one of the few players that made it through the “Louis” stage of the Colorado football program when Deion Sanders arrived before the 2023 season. Sanders has praised the linebacker left and right this offseason and believe he has an NFL future after Woods finished last season with 56 tackles. Two-way player Travis Hunter will grab the headlines defensively, but Woods gives the middle of the Buffaloes’ defense its consistency.
KEY STORYLINES
NORTH DAKOTA STATE
The Bison know how to win. In the program’s history it has won 17 national championships, including nine Division I FCS titles since 2011. This is where Chris Klieman cut his teeth before he left for Kansas State. The new head coach understands the expectations. Tim Polasek was the offensive coordinator at Wyoming, where he worked for former NDSU boss Craig Bohl, before he returned to NDSU, where he worked for 10 years with Klieman and Matt Entz.
The Bison are loaded. Nine of their 12 All-Missouri Valley players are back. They have an ultra-experienced quarterback. Four FBS transfers give them depth. And NDSU is NOT intimidated by going to FBS stadiums. It’s beaten Kansas State, Iowa and Iowa State in recent years. The Bison beat the Hawkeyes in 2016 when Iowa was No. 13 in the country.
COLORADO
Deion Sanders is optimistic about this season. Along with his sons at quarterback and defensive back (Shilo Sanders), he has Hunter at two positions. Plus, new offensive lineman Travis Seaton is on practically every preseason true freshman All-America team. But the offensive and defensive lines need big improvement from a year ago and Colorado carries a six-game losing streak into their first season back in the Big 12.
Plus, ‘Coach Prime’ is sparring with a Denver Post columnist and he (or, rather his sports information staff) has now barred the columnist from asking questions. The Buffs need a jump in Year 2 under Sanders or his seat will get hot quick, especially if the off-field stuff continues to be a distraction.
PREDICTION: North Dakota State 34, Colorado 33
Yep, I’ll take the underdog. Look — I’ve seen the Bison in person plenty of times. When one perceives they’re “down,” trust me — they’re not. Hostile environments don’t intimidate them in the slightest. Sanders acknowledged that he knew a challenge was coming when he talked about NDSU during Big 12 Media Days. The Bison aren’t sneaking up on the Buffaloes. But their style of offense can shorten a game and neutralize Colorado’s big-play offense.
