Sure, the Colorado Buffaloes are only three games into their 2023 season, but new head coach Deion Sanders has everyone believing in this Pac-12 squad from fans to experts to -- you guessed it -- oddsmakers and bettors.
The odds were heavily stacked against the Buffs after they went 1-11 last season, and even the acquisition of Coach Prime couldn't change that. Sportsbooks such as BetMGM are starting to feel a shift now that Sanders and company have emerged to a 3-0 start -- and as the team's odds at winning a national championship have gotten just a little bit shorter.
Here's a look at where Colorado is listed at sportsbooks to win the national championship, and how things look ahead of their big Week 4 matchup against No. 10 Oregon.
Colorado entered the year with the lowest projected win total of all 133 FBS teams, according to ESPN Analytics.
— ESPN (@espn) September 19, 2023
Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes are 3-0 to start the season pic.twitter.com/jBl3dfnxyC
Sporting News reports via BetMGM that Colorado's odds at winning the CFB championship have shortened from 300-1 at the start of the season to 80-1 after their 3-0 start.
Colorado is also reportedly the second-most bet-on school to win the national championship, with 11.3% of bets and 10% of the handle (money) coming in going toward the Buffs.
Clearly, Coach Prime's crew is a big liability for sportsbooks with so much money coming in on those long odds. It's easy to see why fans are jumping on the wagon, especially after the Buffs rallied from behind last week to defeat in-state rival Colorado State in double overtime 43-35.
Well played 21 #GoBuffs | @ShiloSanders pic.twitter.com/FCK10PhbdN
— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) September 17, 2023
Looking to next week, the Buffs are 20.5-point underdogs against the Oregon Ducks. Dan Lanning's team is also a perfect 3-0 to start the season, and they have much shorter odds of winning the national championship at 35-1. With both teams off to such explosive starts, it's probably hard for bettors to decide who to put their wager on this Saturday.
Unless you're all on board Sanders's Colorado Buffaloes train. In this case, you've probably already placed your bet for this weekend.
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