One of the three college football games on the Thursday menu is a Pac-12 matchup pitting the upstart Arizona St. Sun Devils against the struggling Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder.
Both teams will have plenty of time to prepare for this contest as both were idle Saturday. Arizona St. enters the fray following a 27-7 win over Cal as 2.5-point road favorites Sept. 29, while Colorado was blitzed that same day, 42-14 by UCLA, as 19.5 point road underdogs.
The Sun Devils are 4-1 both straight-up and against the spread under first-year head coach Todd Graham. As a result, they are on the cusp of cracking the nation’s Top 25 after earning votes for the first time this week.
Meanwhile, Colorado is at the opposite end of the spectrum. The Buffaloes are 1-4 both straight-up and against the number. Their lone victory came three Saturdays ago when they stunned Washington St. by scoring three touchdowns in the final seven minutes to secure a 35-34 victory.
This certainly looks like a mismatch on paper and this week 7 college football odds reflect that idea. Arizona St. is listed as a 22.5-point road favorite.
The Sun Devils have been one of the better stories of the Pac-12 this season. They are averaging 38.4 points a game—which ranks 2nd in the conference—and the 13.6 points they are allowing per game is 12th-best in the nation and tops the conference.
Colorado is in rebuilding mode and this season has been filled with growing pains. The Buffaloes are giving up 39.4 points a game , which is third-worst in the entire 120-team Football Bowl Subdivision, and their resume includes a loss to Division II Sacramento St. and a 69-14 blowout loss at Fresno St.
Arizona St. is led by quarterback Taylor Kelly, who has nine touchdown passes this year including three last week against Cal. The Sun Devils have been equally adept both throwing and running the ball and that figures to make them especially dangerous against a porous defense such as the one that will be trotted out by the Buffaloes.
Arizona St. has exceeded expectations all season and there’s really no reason to think that will change this week. Weather is supposed to be a pleasant 62 degree-evening in Boulder Thursday, though some scattered showers are part of the early forecast. Perhaps the youngsters at Colorado are sparked by playing in prime time for the first time, but they’re also prone to blowouts and that seems the more likely conclusion Thursday night.
