An early season Big Ten vs. Pac-12 matchup is on tap Saturday as the Minnesota Golden Gophers visit the Colorado Buffaloes. Both teams split their first two games of the season with each team's win coming against a non-FBS opponent. A victory today by the Golden Gophers will push them over .500 for the first time since 2019, while a Buffaloes win will give them just their third victory over a Big Ten school in over 25 years.
These programs have played three times previously with the Buffaloes winning all three. The fourth meeting will kick off at 1 p.m. ET from Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo. The Buffaloes are favored by 2.5 points in the latest Minnesota vs. Colorado odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under is set at 48.5. Before entering any Colorado vs. Minnesota picks, you'll want to see the college football predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of over $3,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters Week 3 of the 2021 season on a 67-50 run on all top-rated college football picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Colorado vs. Minnesota. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football odds for Minnesota vs. Colorado:
- Colorado vs. Minnesota spread: Colorado -2.5
- Colorado vs. Minnesota over-under: 48.5 points
What you need to know about Colorado
The Buffaloes have made great strides defensively over last season considering 2020 ended with them giving up 55 points in the Alamo Bowl. Colorado allowed just seven points in its opener vs. FCS school Northern Colorado but was just as impressive when the level of competition rose in Week 2. The Buffaloes took on the No. 5 Texas A&M Aggies and held a lead until the last three minutes of the game, falling by a 10-7 score.
On the other side of the ball, Colorado employs a ball-control offense that is run-heavy. Starting quarterback Brendon Lewis has nearly as many rushing attempts (17) as pass completions (23) and ranks second on the team with 120 yards on the ground. RB Jarek Broussard leads the team with 145 yards and two touchdowns after leading the Pac-12 in rushing yards last season (895).
What you need to know about Minnesota
Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Minnesota beat the Miami (OH) RedHawks 31-26 on Saturday. Among those leading the charge for Minnesota was RB Treyson Potts, who rushed for two TDs and 178 yards on 34 carries. Potts is filling in for Mohamed Ibrahim who was First-team All-Big Ten last year but is out for the season with a leg injury.
Minnesota will hope to get a better defensive effort against Colorado. The Golden Gophers rank last in the Big Ten with 35.5 points allowed per game and have yet to notch a sack. Minnesota will also hope for better success against Pac-12 teams as it has lost its last three to teams in the conference.
How to make Colorado vs. Minnesota picks
The model has simulated Colorado vs. Minnesota 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning over on the total, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that hits in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Minnesota vs. Colorado? And which side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college football picks, and find out.
