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Top 3 College Football Picks & Predictions: Colorado vs. Utah (Week 13)

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“Prime Numbers” takes a weekly look at the best bets in the upcoming Colorado Buffaloes game.

Coach Prime and his Buffs lost another blowout last week but if you tailed my picks, you went 2-1. Let’s keep the good times rolling at the betting window for one last week, even if they’ve long-ceased rolling in the Rocky Mountains…at least the section where Boulder lies.

Kickoff for this Pac-12 battle is set for 3:30 pm EST at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Last Week: 2-1-0 | 2023 Season: 19-13-0

PRIME NUMBERS: Week 13 | Colorado Buffaloes (4-7, 1-7) at Utah Utes (7-4, 4-4)

(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook unless otherwise noted)

No. 1: Utah -20.5 (-113)

While I have warned all season long about how Colorado has made a habit of backdoor covers during their terrible Pac-12 season, those covers have come in Boulder. Colorado has not covered the spread in nine straight road games against non-AP-ranked teams. That streak includes not only Coach Prime’s numbers this season but the beginning of the streak predates his time at Colorado showing just how hard it is to even consistently be competitive in college football road games when you are far from a premier program.

The is also an increasing likelihood that Shedeur Sanders will not play in this game after exiting last weekend’s game against Washington State with numbness in his throwing hand in the first half. Sanders was able to briefly return and connect with Travis Hunter on a touchdown before exiting for good. Considering how unable to win Colorado has been with Sanders under center, there is absolutely no reason to believe that his backup can keep the Buffs within three scores of a Utah team that has this final game left to impress prospective bowl game suitors.

No. 2: Over 48.5 Total Points (-110)

This total has hit in four of Utah’s last five games and five of Colorado’s last seven. Make sure you place your action at sportsbooks that have the total at 48.5 because some have already moved the line up to 49. As always, we want to look for the hook in the direction that we need because it’s the difference between 49 points being a push rather than a cover.

This bet might seem counter-intuitive based on the aforementioned availability questions surrounding Shedeur Sanders but five of Colorado’s 11 opponents have scored 42+ points by themselves so Utah might not need much offensive help from Colorado for this number to hit. In fact, Colorado has allowed an average of 38 points in Pac-12 play providing even more evidence that it won’t take much offensively from Colorado for this number to hit.

No. 3: Bryson Barnes Over 1.5 Touchdown Passes (-155 via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Barnes has gone over this total in three straight games and four out of five. Out of those five games, three were against ranked opponents, so Barnes can sling it into the endzone with the best of them over the past month or so.

On the other side of the ball, eight of the 11 starting quarterbacks that have faced this Colorado defense have thrown for at least two scores. This includes four of the last five and six of eight in the Pac-12. Between Barnes’ recent success and the absolute lack thereof on Colorado’s part, the value on this bet (even at less  than even odds) is too much to pass up.

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Friday:

 


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Luke Monaldo is a featured writer at BettingPros. Follow him on Twitter @MoKnowsSports. For more from Luke, check out his archive.

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