The Colorado Buffaloes head to Tucson to play the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, October 12.
For many years, this was a Pac-12 conference game — Arizona won last year's matchup 34-31 in Boulder. This year's matchup will be the first in the series as Big 12 foes and could be pivotal in the conference title race.
Arizona fell 41-19 at BYU last week, dropping to 1-2 in conference play. After Colorado, it has a very favorable schedule to close the regular season. However, losing this game also likely ends its chances of winning the Big 12 in its first season.
Colorado suffered its first conference loss in a 31-28 thriller to Kansas State last week. Colorado is currently a five-way tie for fourth place, and a victory will help it pace in the conference's upper echelon. That win would have to come as a short underdog this week. However, the offensive firepower on both sides could lead to a high-scoring game.
Arizona is a 3-point favorite on the spread with a 58-point over/under. The game kicks off at 4 p.m. ET and can be streamed live on FOX.
Where does the betting value lie? Check out my Colorado vs Arizona predictions and college football picks for this Week 8 NCAAF matchup.
Colorado vs Arizona Prediction
- Colorado vs Arizona Pick: Over 58
My Colorado vs Arizona best bet is on the over, with the best line currently available at bet365, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Colorado vs Arizona Odds
| Colorado Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3 -105 | 58 -110o / -110u | +125 |
| Arizona Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3 -115 | 58 -110o / -110u | -150 |
- Colorado vs Arizona Point Spread: Colorado +3 (-105) · Arizona -3 (-115)
- Colorado vs Arizona Total: Over/Under 58
- Colorado vs Arizona Moneyline: Colorado +125 · Arizona -150
Colorado vs Arizona Preview
Colorado Buffaloes Betting Preview: Injury Concerns
Everything begins and ends on the field with Travis Hunter and Sheduer Sanders for Colorado.
Last week's loss was costly, as Hunter left the game in the second quarter and did not return. However, head coach Deion Sanders said Hunter should play.
That is huge for the Buffaloes, given Hunter's two-way excellence. He has 49 receptions for 587 yards and six touchdowns offensively, alongside 16 tackles, three interceptions, three passes defensed, and a forced fumble. He enters the week with the third-shortest odds to win the Heisman.
Jimmy Horn Jr. and Omarion Miller are two more receivers who suffered injuries last week. Horn should also be available this week, but Miller is likely out for the season after undergoing surgery this week. However, Colorado still has options at receiver with Will Sheppard and LaJohntay Webster to go along with Hunter and Horn.
That is music to Sanders's ears, as he has continued to play up to the level of an NFL first-round pick. Sanders has completed 72.6% of his passes for 2,018 yards and 17 touchdown passes, ranking among the top 10 FBS quarterbacks in every metric. That is despite Colorado ranking in the top three in sacks taken (23) and ranking 103rd in Havoc allowed.
It is no secret that Colorado wants to throw the ball around, as it does so on 61% of its offensive snaps. Its top four receivers each have over 300 yards receiving, but it is often one-dimensional. On non-sack running plays, Colorado averages just 4.3 yards per carry and does not have a back over 150 rushing yards. However, Colorado can often get by with its passing attack and should also be able to do so in this matchup.
Per Pro Football Focus, Arizona's secondary ranks 74th in Coverage grade. It allows 203.8 passing yards per game and ranks 121st nationally in passing Explosiveness allowed. Colorado thrives on creating explosive passing plays, so it should find a ton of success in this matchup.
Arizona Wildcats Betting Preview: Plenty of Firepower
Like Colorado, Arizona also has a big-time quarterback-wide receiver duo in Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan.
Though Hunter should play this week, seeing how many snaps he plays on both sides will be interesting, as he's averaging 124.4 snaps per game. Defensively, he will be tasked with covering McMillan; if not, expect McMillan to have a huge day. The junior is third in the nation with 742 yards receiving on 17.7 yards per reception and four touchdowns.
Fifita also entered the year with high expectations after a solid close to his redshirt freshman season. To this point, he has not matched his level as his completion percentage (58%) has dropped 14 points, and he has more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (eight). He threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns last year against Colorado, and he should find success again.
Colorado ranks 85th nationally in passing defense, allowing 226 yards per game. The Buffaloes rank 53rd in Pass Success Rate allowed, but just 78th in Pass Explosiveness allowed. On a down-to-down basis, Arizona has not been consistent offensively this season, but it has been explosive. Arizona's offense is sixth in pass and rush explosiveness and 10th overall.
McMillan attracts a lot of attention, but receiver Montana Lemonius-Craig and tight end Keyan Burnett are also threats. Lemonius-Craig may also have a bit of extra motivation when facing his former team. Running back Quali Conley provides a dual threat out of the backfield with 458 rushing and six touchdowns on 5.6 yards to go along with 22 receptions for 151 yards.
Colorado vs Arizona
Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Colorado and Arizona match up statistically:
Colorado Offense vs. Arizona Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 47 | 95 | |
| Line Yards | 96 | 106 | |
| Pass Success | 41 | 44 |  |
| Havoc | 103 | 62 | |
| Finishing Drives | 43 | 117 | |
| Quality Drives | 68 | 73 | |
Arizona Offense vs. Colorado Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 105 | 64 | |
| Line Yards | 110 | 45 | |
| Pass Success | 82 | 53 | |
| Havoc | 68 | 41 | |
| Finishing Drives | 115 | 19 | |
| Quality Drives | 72 | 58 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 42 | 75 |
| PFF Coverage | 55 | 74 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 113 | 11 |
| Middle 8 | 58 | 43 |
| Seconds per Play | 25.8 (36) | 28.0 (81) |
| Rush Rate | 39% (133) | 42% (122) |
Colorado vs Arizona Pick & Prediction
The over has hit in seven of the last 10 meetings in this head-to-head series, with an average of 62.7 points.
This year's matchup features two teams throwing the ball nearly 60% of the time. Colorado ranks 36th nationally in seconds per play, so we could see a few quick scores in this game.
When Colorado crosses the 40, it will have a massive advantage against Arizona's defense in Finishing Drives. While Arizona's offense has struggled in that area, Colorado has allowed 21 points in five of six games and 26 points in four of six games this season.
Pick: Over 58 (Play to 61.5)
Colorado vs Arizona Start Time, Channel, Streaming, How to Watch
| Location: | Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ |
| Date: | Saturday, Oct. 19 |
| Kickoff Time: | 4 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | FOX |
Colorado vs Arizona will be played at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona, on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 4 p.m. ET. You can stream the game live on FOX.
