On Saturday, the Colorado Buffaloes travel to Corvallis, OR, to take on the Oregon State Beavers. The Buffaloes are looking to break their current losing streak, while the Beavers are coming off a week where they let go of their head coach. Kickoff inside Reser Stadium is at 4 PM ET.
Colorado (3-3, 0-3 Pac-12) has not won a Pac-12 game yet. They started off the season 3-0, but have gone 0-3 in conference play. However, that should all change this weekend as they take on the conference’s worst team – Oregon State. The Buffaloes have lost two close games in a row and look to stampede the Beavers this week as they get back over .500 on the season. Colorado has won the last two games in this head-to-head series and they should make it 3 straight this weekend.
Oregon State (1-5, 0-3 Pac 12) is losing at a record pace. Their team has played terrible in Conference games as they have been outscored 132-40. The Beavers are so bad that they parted ways with their coach this week. It comes as no surprise, but it really won’t make a difference. The Beavers just don’t have the talent to compete with other Pac-12 teams and that will be evident again this weekend.
The spread opened with the Buffaloes favored by 12 points, but it has come down to 11.5 points since then. The Over/Under opened at 57.5 total points and has come down to 55.5 points.
What can I say about the Beavers that I haven’t already said? It’s almost like a broken record. This team is a hot mess and there’s no fixing it anytime soon. Let’s start with their biggest problem – defense.
The Beavers defense is giving up nearly 494 total yards per game. They are gashed on the ground for 199 yards per game and they are mauled through the air for 294 yards per game. The defense also gives up 45 points per game. In other words, they don’t stop anyone. Colorado is definitely licking their buffalo chops!
Colorado comes into this game averaging 28 points per game. However, they put up 42 points against a weak Arizona Wildcats defense last week and I expect them to put up similar numbers this week. QB Steven Montez put up some of his best numbers of the season last week as he finished with 251 passing yards, 3 touchdown throws and no turnovers. He kept them in the game until the very end as they narrowly lost 45-42.
Colorado running back Phillip Lindsay has been quietly racking up the rushing yards this season as he’s totaled 810 rushing yards and 8 rushing touchdowns on the season. Lindsay had his best game of the season last week versus Arizona as he put up 281 rushing yards on 41 carries and scored 3 touchdowns. He also chipped in 39 receiving yards to go over the 300 total yard mark for the game.
I expect Lindsay to have another big game this weekend against the Beavers. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lindsay rushed for over 200 yards this weekend due to how bad Oregon State’s rush defense is. Whether they pass with Montez or run with Lindsay, the Buffaloes should have a lot of success this weekend.
Defensively, Colorado only gives up 22 points per game, which is 3 more points than Oregon State averages per game. So, even if they give up 20 points, the Buffaloes should still easily cover the spread in this one. I expect this game to be a blowout with Colorado winning 41-20.
Oregon State is 1-5 ATS this season and 8-17 ATS in their last 25 home games. Colorado is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games against a team with a losing record and 7-1 ATS in their last 8 road games.