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No. 18 Kansas State (4-1) at Colorado (4-1)
Date: Saturday, October 12
Time: 10:15 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
If you have the energy to stay up late Saturday after consuming college football’s loaded Week 7 slate, I recommend tuning into Kansas State’s trip to Colorado to finish the night.
With the Big 12 race being wide open, the game presents a huge opportunity for both teams to make a statement.
The Wildcats already have a conference loss after falling 38-9 at BYU in a very odd game three weeks ago. The Buffaloes were thought by many, including me, as an outsider to contend in the Big 12, but they have beaten Baylor and UCF to start their conference campaign.
The pick — Kansas State -3.5 (-105, BetMGM)
The recent results have created the chance to buy low on Kansas State and sell high on Colorado.
The final score of the Wildcats’ blowout loss at BYU looks ugly, but what did them in was a disastrous seven-minute stretch in which they allowed 31 unanswered points, including a fumble return for a touchdown and a 90-yard punt return for a TD. I’m willing to give Kansas State a pass for that defeat since it was a night game in a tough place to play in Provo.
The next week, the Wildcats cleaned up their offense and dominated Oklahoma State with explosive plays. I know the Cowboys have fallen apart, but it was encouraging to see highly-touted QB Avery Johnson play up to his potential and limit mistakes.
I like the matchup for K-State’s running game against the Buffs. Johnson and running backs DJ Giddens and Dylan Edwards, a transfer from Colorado, should take advantage of a CU rush defense that is vulnerable up front.
The Buffaloes deserve a lot of credit for the way they dominated as two-touchdown underdogs in a 48-21 Week 5 victory at UCF. QB Shedeur Sanders and WR/CB Travis Hunter had huge games, and they’ll be the two most talented players on the field on Saturday.
However, the week before the UCF win, Colorado needed a Hail Mary to force overtime against Baylor and escape with a miraculous 38-31 triumph. If the Buffaloes lost that game, I believe this week’s point spread would have Kansas State closer to a touchdown favorite.
With both teams coming off a bye, I will take Chris Klieman and his Wildcats staff to have their team better prepared than Deion Sanders and his staff. It will be another tough environment for Kansas State to play in, but the Week 4 loss at BYU will serve as a learning experience for the Wildcats.
Season record: 8-7, +0.57 units