The Colorado Buffaloes are buzzing! Following a revamp to the roster with the help of fresh talent and a grueling training camp, Coach Prime’s role in turning around the program is quite undeniable. This newfound excitement has uplifted the Buffs fans and even reached the betting world.

BetMGM Sportsbook recently opened its Big 12 betting odds, and the Colorado Buffaloes have become a runaway favorite. The oddsmakers set the team’s win total at 5.5, with an “over/under” option on how many games they’ll win. And numbers seem to favor the Buffs this time. 

Also, according to Yahoo Sports, “More over bets have been made on Colorado’s total than any other team and the Buffs are also getting the most under bets.” A whopping 63% of bettors predict the Buffs will exceed 5.5 wins while the remaining remain unsure. However, this is a significant jump from their mediocre 4-8 record last season. 

Now this optimism extends to the championship title as well. Although not the favorite, Colorado has the 11th-best odds at +3000, and 4.5% of voters have chosen them to win it all, ranking them as the fourth-most popular pick.

Many predict that the Buffaloes will have a win rate of around 5-6, with Coach Prime’s focus on star players like quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way threat Travis Hunter playing a key role. The team has a mix of potentially easy wins and challenging matchups against teams like Utah and Kansas State, so they have a 50/50 shot at achieving that 5.5 win mark. Some even feel that the Buffs’ star players, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, are the reason behind this increase in betting odds.

Will Coach Prime aim higher than the projected wins?

On a recent episode of the DNVR podcast, host Jake highlighted how Colorado’s championship odds have drastically improved, nearly halving from +20,000 to +12,500 on one online platform. Co-host Ryan Koenigsberg offered a reason for this optimism: “They [bettors] also understand that two legitimate Heisman candidates are on the team.” According to him, wins are bound to happen if the players supporting these stars improve.

The optimism isn’t limited to bettors. ESPN’s FPI index has also projected a significant improvement for Colorado, forecasting a 6.3-win season. This ranks them at 36th nationally, a massive leap from their 77th place last year. While this projected record is a clear improvement on last year’s 4 wins, it might not be enough to win a championship. The real question now is whether Coach Prime can exceed these already impressive projections. Can the Buffs surpass the “unprecedented standard” set by the experts and achieve an even better win rate?