It’s been seven years since the Colorado Buffaloes last made a bowl game during a full season, but there’s fresh hope along the Front Range in 2023.
Much of that fresh air comes from new coach and Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, who left Jackson State to take the lead role in Boulder during the offseason.
Sanders inherits a Buffaloes team that wallowed through a 1-11 campaign in 2022, posting the program’s worst 12-game record since going 1-11 during the school’s first year in the Pac-12 in 2012.
There’s reason for Colorado sports betting fans to believe 2023 could be a renaissance season for CU, though, with the 21st ranked overall recruiting class in the nation (per 247 Sports) and an infusion of talent at virtually every skill position.
It seems oddsmakers at Colorado sportsbook apps are tempering their expectations for Sanders first season, however, with Caesars Sportsbook Colorado giving CU the ninth-best odds of winning the Pac-12 (+6000) and BetMGM Sportsbook Colorado giving the Buffs +25000 championship odds.
In advance of CU’s spring football game Saturday, BetColorado.com broke down where the Buffs stand.
Colorado Rankings
- Recruiting Ranking (247 Sports): 21st nationally
- Pac-12 Odds (Caesars Sportsbook Colorado): +6000 (9th)
- National Title Odds (BetMGM Sportsbook Colorado): +25000
Buffs Fans Flocking to Spring Game
The Buffaloes have their best recruiting class in 15 years at their disposal and unprecedented publicity providing wind at their sails entering the spring game and the off-season to follow.
The 2023 class is the first to crack 247 Sport’s top 25 since CU ranked 15th nationally in 2008 when the Buffs were playing in the Big 12.
In total, Sanders brought in 46 prospects either through traditional high school recruiting or through the NCAA’s transfer portal, setting off a transformation of the Buffs’ depth chart — one reason it might be worth taking a flyer on CU by using Colorado sportsbook promos.
The legendary NFL cornerback managed to flip Miami commit and five-star cornerback Cormani McClain, along with three four-star recruits (RB Dylan Edwards and wideouts Adam Hopkins and Omarion Miller) to give CU some freshman depth at valued positions.
Sanders also got his son, Shedeur, to transfer from Jackson State, giving the Buffs a former four-star recruit to sling the ball around this fall.
The junior Sanders was excellent a year ago for the Tigers, tossing 40 touchdowns (to six interceptions), while throwing for 3,732 yards as a sophomore. Through two seasons under his father’s tutelage, Sanders threw for 6,963 yards and 70 touchdowns (to 14 interceptions), while gaining 156 yards and scoring nine touchdowns on the ground.
Sanders and fellow Jackson State transfer cornerback Travis Hunter will be tasked with spearheading a complete rejuvenation of the Buffs’ program in the year ahead.
For now, it seems like the fans in Boulder have bought into what Sanders is selling, with CU selling out the spring football game for the first time and season tickets for the first time since 1996.
