NCAAF No. 19 Colorado at No. 10 Oregon Free Pick

It’s the fourth week of the college football season, and among the better games is the Pac-12 conference opener between the No. 19 Colorado Buffaloes and the 10th-ranked Oregon Ducks. 

Both teams enter at 3-0, with kickoff at Autzen Stadium in Eugene listed at 3:30 PM ET.

Oregon is an overwhelming three-touchdown favorite (total at a robust number of 71), according to college football odds.

Moneyline is Oregon at -1100, Colorado at +700. 

Colorado’s been one of the early-season surprises, though it was taken to double overtime before whipping rival Colorado St. in the Rocky Mountain Showdown last week.

Oregon has scored 174 points in its first three games (81, 38, 55), albeit against some very suspect competition.

It’s the Ducks at +320 (third choice) to win the conference, while the Buffs are priced at 20-1 (+2000), per Pac-12 title odds. 

Undefeated, But…

Much was made of the new-look Colorado Buffaloes under coach Deion Sanders in his first season at Boulder. Colorado stunned TCU on the road in its opener at a fat underdog, then slapped Nebraska at home. 

However, surrendering 35 points to a bad Colorado St. Ram team was a distressing outcome. Through the first three games of the season, CU’s defense has allowed an average of 460 yards per contest. 

Obviously, stopping the run has been the biggest issue thus far, as the opposition has “grounded” to the tune of more than 195 yards/game. That’s not good news ahead of an Oregon team which loves to run. 

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders (1,251 yards, 10 touchdowns, one interception) has led a one-side offense that needs success through the air, as it’s only averaging a couple of yards per rush.

Jimmy Horn Jr. and Xaiver Weaver have 26 and 25 receptions, respectively. 

CU’s without dual threat Travis Hunter (lacerated liver) after a late/dirty hit in the CSU game a week ago. He is expected to miss close to a month. 

Piling the Points

Oregon is averaging 58 points and 579 yards of total offense per game this season, with the asterisk of inferior opposition. It’s no secret that the Ducks score points in a hurry, with an offense that’s been effective either through the air (357 yards/game) or on the ground (222 yards/game). 

Quarterback Bo Nix has completed nearly 78 percent of his passes (893 yards, eight touchdowns, no picks). 

Running backs Bucky Irving and Jordan James have a combined eight ground touchdowns.

Expect the crowd to provide a huge boost to Oregon, as always, 

It’s Not One-Sided

While this 3-0 Colorado start has been impressive, it was fortunate to beat Colorado St. in its last out. The loss of Travis Hunter is big on both sides of the ball, and this Buffalo team won’t slow down Oregon. 

Oregon’s disposed of “prep” teams in basically order, and this conference opener is certainly more of a test.  

The fat spread suggests a blowout. We don’t see it that way, and while Oregon should take care of business, laying those 21 points is a bit much. 

It’s Colorado plus the three touchdowns, and under 71. Bet these picks now at BetUS.com