The first full week of the 2024 college football season — with all due respect to Week 0, of course — kicks off Thursday night with a packed slate.
The most interesting matchup on the board is the 8 p.m. ET battle in Boulder between North Dakota State and Colorado on ESPN.
After Week 0 delivered a massive early upset in Georgia Tech vs. Florida State amid a day full of impressive showings by underdogs — the four favorites last Saturday went 0-4 ATS — NDSU will look to pull off the first major upset of Week 1 at Colorado’s Folsom Field.
The Bison are 9.5-point underdogs in their first game under head coach Tim Polasek.
Colorado coach Deion Sanders knows how tough Thursday night’s opponent is, though. In fact, he joked at Big 12 media days in July that he was mad at Colorado AD Rick George for scheduling a tough opponent like the Bison — instead of a “layup” — for his team’s season opener.
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North Dakota State vs. Colorado Betting Odds
Below are the odds for Thursday’s game in three markets: the spread, moneyline and total.
| DraftKings | FanDuel | Caesars | bet365 | |
| NDSU spread | +9.5 (-110) | +9.5 (-110) | +9 (-110) | +9.5 (-110) |
| CU spread | -9.5 (-110) | -9.5 (-110) | -9 (-110) | -9.5 (-110) |
| NDSU ML | +270 | +280 | +285 | +280 |
| CU ML | -340 | -360 | -365 | -360 |
| Total | 60.5 (o-110; u-110) | 59.5 (o-115; u-105) | 60.0 (o-110; u-110) | 60.5 (o-110; u-110) |
Diehard fans of college football are well aware of how good NDSU has been at the FCS level dating back to 2011, with nine FCS titles from 2011-2021. The Bison haven’t won the FCS national championship in either of the past two seasons, but still went 23-7 the last two years.
But bettors are all over the Buffaloes in this game, as the line has moved from Colorado -8 to Colorado -9.5 since it opened this summer. This week, more bettors at BetMGM have bet on Colorado to cover the spread than any other team, according to BetMGM’s John Ewing.
How to Bet North Dakota State vs. Colorado
Historically, NDSU has not only been outstanding in FCS. It has also more than held its own against FBS schools, with a record of 9-4 in its last 13 FBS matchups. That includes a 31-28 road loss Arizona in 2022 in its last game against a power-conference foe.
The Bison enter the 2024 season as the No. 2-ranked team in FCS after going 11-4 a year ago.
Still, NDSU doesn’t have future NFL talent quite like the Buffaloes, especially CU QB Shedeur Sanders and CB/WR Travis Hunter, who are both likely first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Those two were both dominant at times in 2023, especially the latter. A midseason injury was the only thing that slowed down Hunter, who was a first-team All-American last year.
The two biggest reasons Colorado struggled after it started 2023 with wins over TCU, Nebraska and Colorado were its offensive line play and its porous defense.
This year’s O-line looks very different than the unit that gave up 56 sacks a year ago. Coach Prime added two likely starters up front via the transfer portal (Justin Mayer from UTEP and Kahlil Benson from Indiana), plus five-star freshman left tackle Jordan Seaton.
The Buffs also hit the portal hard on the defensive side of the ball. Preseason all-Big-12 selection B.J. Green (a transfer from Arizona State) headlines a major infusion of talent on the D-line.
College football fans will find out right away whether Colorado’s D-line has gone from weakness to strength, as the Bison are as physical and run-heavy as any offense the Buffs will see this year.
Colorado’s offseason work in the portal to upgrade its offensive and defensive lines should allow it to survive this matchup, but don’t expect the Buffaloes to win going away.
North Dakota State vs. Colorado Best Bets
- North Dakota State +9.5 (-110 at DK, FD, bet365)
- Under 60.5 (-110 at DK, bet365)
We’ll believe a team can whip North Dakota State when we see it. While we’re not quite sold on NDSU pulling the upset, mostly because it’s unclear what to expect in Polasek’s program debut, this does feel like a one-score game.
As for the total, yes, Colorado can light up the scoreboard, which is why the over/under is set at 60 or higher at most sportsbooks.
But even if the Buffaloes eventually pull away with this game, possessions (and points) should be few and far between as the Bison look to pound the rock to shorten the game.
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