Colorado vs. North Dakota State prediction, odds: 2024 college football expert picks, Deion Sanders best bet
Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes will kick off the 2024 college football season by hosting North Dakota State at Folsom Field on Thursday. Coach Prime and the Buffs have overhauled their roster again this offseason, but once again the team will be led by the trio of Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter and Shilo Sanders. North Dakota State will have a new look in 2024 after Tim Polasek replaced Matt Entz as the team’s head coach during the offseason. The Bison are ranked second in the country at the FCS level this season, and have won nine of the last 13 national championships at that level.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET in Boulder, Colorado. The latest NDSU vs. Colorado odds have Colorado at a 9.5-point advantage, while the over/under is 59.5 points. Before making any picks for Colorado vs. North Dakota State, you need to see the Week 1 college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s Jimmy Keller.
Keller is the NFL, college football and DFS expert for SportsLine, having covered the NFL and college football for nearly a decade as a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. His background as a former college football All-American and NFL player gives him a unique perspective when building his fantasy lineups and locking in his betting picks. He has his finger on the pulse of the college football landscape and has been making big profits over the past two years.
Keller took college football by storm in 2023, compiling a 107-45-2 record while scoring 57.9 net units. Anyone who followed his selection could have predicted a better end to the season.
Now, Keller has taken a look at Colorado vs. NDSU on Thursday and given his picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the college football odds and betting lines for Colorado vs. North Dakota State:
- North Dakota State vs. Colorado Spread: Colorado -9.5
- North Dakota State vs. Colorado Over/Under: 59.5 points
- North Dakota State vs. Colorado Money Line: Colorado -305, NDSU +240
- North Dakota State vs. Colorado Picks: See Picks at SportsLine
Why Colorado Can Cover
The Buffs enter their second year under Coach Prime with high expectations. CU is back in the Big 12 after spending the past 13 seasons in the now-defunct Pac-12. Colorado is projected to win a total of 5.5 games in the regular season, but it also has a pair of Heisman Trophy contenders back in quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter.
The most notable offseason additions for Buffalo include offensive tackle Jordan Sitton and wide receiver Will Shepard. Sitton was a five-star recruit in the 2024 class, and is expected to begin the season as Colorado’s starting left tackle. Shepard transferred to CU after four productive seasons at Vanderbilt, where he totaled 152 catches for 2,067 yards and 21 touchdowns. See which team to pick here.
Why the state of North Dakota might cover
The Bison are coming off an 8-3 season in 2023, a disappointing result for a program of NDSU’s standards. Tim Polasek returned to the program to take over as head coach after spending the past three seasons as the offensive coordinator at Wyoming. Polasek was NDSU’s offensive coordinator for their national championship teams in 2014 and 2015, and an assistant for the 2011 and 2012 championship teams.
Polasek has made it a high priority to re-establish NDSU’s image as a tough, physical and disciplined team. The Bison return a highly experienced quarterback in Cam Miller. Miller completed 72% of his passes for 2,688 yards, 19 touchdowns and four interceptions. Miller also rushed for 629 yards and 13 touchdowns. See which team to pick here.
How to choose North Dakota State vs. Colorado
Keller has analyzed Colorado vs. North Dakota State from every angle, and he’s leaning toward the under on the point total. He’s also discovered a crucial X-factor that forces him to jump on one side of the spread. He’s sharing what it is, and which side to back, exclusively on SportsLine.
So who wins Thursday’s Colorado vs. North Dakota State game in Boulder, and what crucial X-factor makes it necessary to back one side of the spread? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the expert who helped $100 college football bettors make $5,790 in profits in 2023, and learn more.
