College Football Predictions – Colorado Buffaloes 2017 NCAA Football Preview
2016 Recap
2016 Record – 10-4
2016 ATS – 10-4
Yes, guy.
Colorado won 10 games last year and that matched the total of the previous THREE seasons combined. They were undefeated at home and only lost to USC, Michigan and Washington during the regular season. Oklahoma St spanked them in the Alamo Bowl, but to be fair, they had just run out of gas by that point. And the Cowboys were pretty good. What can the Buffs do for an encore ? Let’s dig in.
2017 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating
PAC 12 – TBD
South Division – TBD
OFFENSE
The Buffs look to be in good shape at QB despite the departure of the oft-injured but talented Sefu Liufau. Steven Montez completed almost 60% of his passes with a 9-5 TD to INT ratio in 2016 and should be more than capable of leading the way. Colorado rushed for 183 yards per game last season and most of that production came from RB Phillip Lindsay (1,252, 16 TD, 5.1) who returns for his senior season. The offensive line returns 4/5 starters and that should allow the Buffs to keep the necessary balance on offense.
Opposing secondaries are going to have their hands full when Colorado chooses to MATRICULATE in the passing game. MEGALOCKS PAC 12 INSIDERS rate the WR group as the best in the conference. They are so dangerous because of the depth of the unit. Shay Fields (883, 15.8, 9 TD) is probably the most lethal but you cannot afford to sleep on any of the guys that line line up at WR. If Montez can get decent protection (31 sacks allowed last year – 10th in PAC 12) he will almost certainly have a big year.
DEFENSE
As good as we feel about the offense, we have to admit, a lot of that excitement starts to fade away when we examine the defense. As recently as 2014 this team yielded 39 points per game. They were excellent in 2016 (#2 total defense, #3 scoring defense in PAC 12) but only return three starters this year AND lose DC Jim Leavitt (a MEGALOCKS favorite). They lose a ton of production at all three levels of the defense with the departure of their leading tackler, #1 sack man and some REALLY good players in the secondary. The Buffs will only stay in the PAC 12 South race if the defense takes a small step back and not a BIG one.
SPECIAL TEAMS
CRIKEY, MATE ! We love to see Australians do well and there is yet ANOTHER potential college football success story from the land down under. Colorado will feature a 30-year old PK from Australia in James Stefanou. Alex Kinney is back to do the punting. The return units look good. Overall we have a good feeling about their special teams.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot
November 4 – at Arizona St. This is their 3rd road game in four weeks with the potentially yuuuuge game with USC on deck.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
Colorado has not won a bowl game since 2004 when they beat UTEP in something called the Houston Bowl.
MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 5.0
MEGALOCKS says:
Overall, we give the BUFFALOES a 5.0 ATS Value Rating (Average) this season.
Last season MEGALOCKS members were ENTRANCED by our prediction for Colorado giving them an ATS Value Rating of 8.5…….We like the momentum the Buffaloes carry into the season, combined with the experienced roster, as well as improving defense. We have Colorado on our radar as a team to consider almost every week especially as big underdogs.
What about 2017 ?
It’s difficult to know what to expect. The offense looks loaded but the defense is going to make things really challenging for the Buffs to compete in the tough PAC 12 South. As far as potential success vs the point spread, we can see Colorado causing trouble as an underdog, but we are going to be careful in backing them as big favorites.
Want more Colorado Football ?
Website
http://www.cubuffs.com/index.aspx?path=football
Forum
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http://chat.colorado.sportswar.com/message_board/netbuffsfootball/
http://scout.com/college/colorado/Board/No-Holds-Barred-104134
News
http://www.buffzone.com/football-cubuffs
http://bleacherreport.com/colorado-buffaloes-football
http://www.denverpost.com/sports/college/
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Accounts
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