Colorado & Colorado State Battle at Mile High
The Colorado State Rams and the Colorado Buffaloes will renew the Rocky Mtn Showdown on Friday night when they battle at Broncos Stadium at Mile High. Both teams are looking to overcome disappointing 2018 campaigns and what a better way than against each other. The game is essentially a must-win for Colorado. They face one of the nation’s toughest schedules. They have six games against teams ranked in the preseason top 25 (Washington, Oregon, Utah, Washington State, Stanford and Nebraska).
TV: 10 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Colorado -13; O/U: 55.5.
With only one winning season since 2005, Colorado has turned to a new coach. Mel Tucker is a first time head coach, but seems to be highly qualified for the job. The former Georgia defensive coordinator makes his debut Friday night against his in-state rivals. He is facing former Georgia Offensive Coordinator, Mike Bobo. Bobo is finally healthy and ready to get his Rams back on track.
Colorado is coming off back-to-back 5-7 finishes. They parted ways with Mike MacIntyre after six seasons. Enter Tucker, who had spent the last three seasons as Georgia’s defensive coordinator and was at Alabama for one season (2015). He served as an NFL assistant in the 10 seasons prior to that. “Pressure, to me, is a privilege. If you’re trying to do something important, you put more pressure on yourself,” Tucker said of the 2019 expectations for his team. “We put more pressure on ourselves to prepare and get it right than I think anyone can put on us from the outside. If you’re not doing anything significant, there’s not going to be very much pressure.”
Further north in the state, there are also increased expectations at Colorado State. They are coming off its first losing season (3-9) in the last six years. They must get back on get back on track in head coach Mike Bobo’s fifth season. Bobo is 0-4 against Colorado. His Rams have dropped nine straight against chief rivals Colorado, Wyoming and Air Force overall.
This, That, and a Dart Throw
Colorado was 5-7 in 2018 and look for bigger things from the new coaching staff. The Buffs have brought up the rear in the Pac-12 South Division in each of the last two seasons. They are predicted to finish last again in the preseason conference media poll. Offensively, senior quarterback Steven Montez is back for his third full season as the team’s starter. He will have one of the nation’s best weapons at his disposal in dynamic junior wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. The talented pass-catcher caught 86 passes for 1,011 yards, he chipped 115 rushing yards and totaled 11 touchdowns in nine games. His season was cut short by a toe injury.
Defensively, Colorado brings back only four starters. This could be the teams Achilles heel. The defensive standouts are junior linebacker Nate Landman with 123 total tackles in 2018. Junior defensive tackle Mustafa Johnson with 73 total tackles, including nine for losses. Colorado has ruled the series with a 66-22-2 advantage and has won 12 of the last 16 meetings, including four straight.
Colorado State was 3-9 in the 2018 campaign. That has to improve for Bobo and his staff. The Rams are picked to finish fifth for the second straight season in the six-team Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference. Much better health is expected for Bobo. Last season he dealt with foot numbness caused by a peripheral neuropathy. He’ll have a returning quarterback to work with in junior Collin Hill. He took the reins in the second half of last season and will be out to improve on his 7:7 TD-to-interception ratio.
Defensively, the Rams return six starters from a unit which ranked second to last in the Mountain West and 117th nationally with 36.8 points allowed per game.
The Dart Throw: Colorado State 35, Colorado 17
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Colorado Buffaloes Trends
- Trend Under is 11-1 in Buffaloes last 12 neutral site games as a favorite. Hit % 91.70% (12) O/U 1|11 Push 0 W/L
- Under is 8-0 in Buffaloes last 8 games as a favorite of 0.5-3.0. 100.00% (8) 0|8 0
- Under is 4-0 in Buffaloes last 4 neutral site games as a favorite of 0.5-3.0. 100.00% (4) 0|4 0
- Under is 4-0 in Buffaloes last 4 games as an underdog of 3.5-10.0. 100.00% (4) 0|4 0
Colorado State Rams Trends
- Trend Under is 5-1 in Rams last 6 games as an underdog of 10.5 or greater. Hit % 83.30% (6) O/U 1|5 Push 0 W/L
- Under is 4-1 in Rams last 5 neutral site games as an underdog of 3.5-10.0. 80.00% (5) 1|4 0
- Over is 4-1 in Rams last 5 neutral site games as a favorite. 80.00% (5) 1|11 0
- Over is 18-7-1 in Rams last 26 games as a favorite of 0.5-3.0. 72.00% (26) 0|8 0
Rocky Mtn Showdown Trends
- Trend Under is 6-0 in the last 6 meetings in Colorado. Hit % 100.00% (6) O/U 0|6 Push 0 W/L
- Under is 10-1 in the last 11 meetings. 90.90% (11) 1|10 0
- Rams are 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 meetings. 0.00% (4) 1 0|3
- Favorite is 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 meetings. 100.00% (4) 1 3|0
Next up:
Colorado State home to Western Illinois Saturday, September 7
Colorado home to Nebraska Saturday, September 7
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