Colorado vs. Oregon NCAA Week 4: Despite no Travis Hunter, Buffaloes again are most-bet team
The Deion Sanders Effect at Colorado is slowing no signs of slowing down as no college football team has taken this much betting action ever both in terms of backing the Buffs in each game so far and on all their futures odds. Sanders’ biggest game yet at CU is Saturday as the No. 19 Buffaloes visit No. 10 Oregon in the Pac-12 opener for both. Colorado will be without two-way superstar Travis Hunter due to injury and is a 21-point dog yet taking the most ATS and moneyline action of any school in Week 4.
Hunter had been +3500 to win the Heisman Trophy but is now off the board because the cornerback/receiver and potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft suffered a lacerated liver in last Saturday’s overtime comeback win against rival Colorado State. He will miss 3-4 weeks, so Hunter isn’t winning the Heisman. In his three games, Hunter he had 16 catches for 213 yards, one interception, nine total tackles and two pass breakups.
“The bad thing about losing Travis, man, you lose such a crucial piece of our team,” safety Shilo Sanders said. “He’s on offense and defense, so it’s like you’re losing two players in one. So that was pretty rough.”
Shilo Sanders is Deion’s son as is QB Shedeur Sanders, who is down to +1800 to win the Heisman – if he plays well in Eugene and leads an upset, Sanders probably lands among the favorites. Shedeur led an epic 98-yard game-tying touchdown drive and 2-point conversion in the final two minutes of regulation in the double-OT win over Colorado State.
Some pretty cool numbers from the school website: Sanders leads the nation in second half and overtime passing yards with 871, and on third downs overall has completed 23 of 32 attempts for 310 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and 15 first downs. The completions, yards and first downs all lead the nation. When the #GoBuffs have trailed this year, Sanders is 38-for-45 for 507 yards and four touchdowns.
Deion’s popularity isn’t limited to sportsbooks. That CU-CSU game last Saturday night peaked with 11.1 million TV viewers, which was the largest college football audience of the season. That’s stupid for a rather blah in-state rivalry game that kicked off at 10 p.m. ET. Colorado has now played in three of the five most-watched games this season.
One major book tweeted out today that Colorado +650 on the moneyline Saturday is its biggest liability of the weekend by far in all sports and all markets. CU is getting 99% of that action. Seems like a waste of money on the ML, but Colorado was +21 in the season opener at TCU and won. Overall in its past 30 games as at least a 21-point underdog, the Buffs are 2-28 straight up (other win November 2011 at Utah) and 9-21 ATS.
Only three teams have won multiple games as an underdog of at least 20 points in a season since the FBS/FCS split in 1978: Northwestern in 1982, UL Monroe in 2021 and Georgia Tech last year. AP Top 25 teams are 5-43 SU, 19-28-1 ATS (40%) as at least 20-point underdogs since 1995.
Colorado has lost 31 straight games against Top-15 opponents dating to a 2007 home win over Oklahoma and is 2-30 away from Boulder against Top-15 opponents this century with 27 straight losses.
Oregon has its own Heisman contending QB in Bo Nix (+2500) and has won 32 of 34 at home dating to the middle of the 2017 season, with its only two losses essentially in the final seconds. OU is 7-1 ATS at home when Nix starts. It is second in the nation in scoring at 58.0 ppg.
The #Go Ducks have won three straight in the series in blowout fashion.