The college football season is off to the races with plenty of action on the Week 2 slate. During the afternoon portion of the matchups, the Colorado Buffaloes host the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens for the second game of the season for each side. Colorado is looking to bounce back from a 27-20 loss to Georgia Tech, while Delaware defeated Delaware State 35-17 to kick off their first year at the FBS level.
Looking at the odds, Colorado is favored by 23.5 points and holds -2800 odds on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. Delaware holds +1300 odds of an outright victory with the game total set at 49.5.
This article will take a brief preview of both teams and a pick for the Week 2 matchup.
Colorado vs. Delaware prediction, preview
Delaware Preview
This is the first season Delaware is competing at the FBS level after going 9-2 last year as an FCS program. They produced a 35-17 victory over cross-state rival Delaware State in Week 1, who are coached by former Philadelphia Eagles’ star DeSean Jackson. The Fightin’ Blue Hens produced 409 total yards of offense even following a quarterback change. Starting QB Zach Marker suffered a knee injury during the second drive after attempting just eight passes. He was unable to leave the field under his own power, and the injury is expected to be season-ending. Nick Minicucci looked impressive upon stepping in, completing 28 of his 36 pass attempts for 251 yards and three touchdowns while adding 44 rushing yards and a touchdown with his legs. While Minicucci deserves praise for making the transition so seamless, this changes the outlook for Delaware moving forward.
Defensively, the Fightin’ Blue Hens are strong at the linebacker and safety spots. 77% of last year’s defensive unit is back, including 17 of the 22 players with double-digit tackles. They lost their top pass rusher from last year, but they tallied a pair of sacks and seven tackles for a loss in the season-opener. Delaware elected to trust the players they have in place rather than attack the transfer portal aggressively, even while taking the leap in competition. But the program has produced nine wins in back-to-back seasons and is 26-11 overall in the three seasons under head coach Ryan Carty.
Colorado Preview
Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter may no longer be there, but there is still plenty of pomp and circumstance surrounding Colorado. Coming off a 9-4 record last season, it is a tall ask to replace a Heisman Trophy winner and a quarterback who threw for over 4,000 yards. There are only six returning starters on the roster overall, and the Buffaloes fell to Georgia Tech 27-20 to kick off the season. This was a respectable loss against a scrappy Georgia Tech team that covered the +4 spread on DraftKings Sportsbook. Colorado has some concerns in the trenches and allowed 320 rushing yards in the season opener. Their pass rush should be strong, and they led the Big 12 in sacks and tackles for a loss last season, but looked a bit concerning in the season opener.
Kaidon Salter made his debut as the new Colorado starting quarterback, completing 17 of his 28 pass attempts for 159 yards and a touchdown while adding 43 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The Liberty transfer is a true dual-threat quarterback, but did not connect with any individual wide receiver for more than 39 yards. Offensive line remains a concern for the Buffaloes, but Salter’s abilities with his legs help in this area. Colorado continues to rely on their star-studded coaching staff, headlined by Deion Sanders himself, Marshall Faulk, Warren Sapp, and Pat Shurmur. Faulk will hope to help the rushing attack after Colorado ranked last nationally in rushing yards last year. Salter will help with this effort, and Micah Welsh led the team with 64 rushing yards in the season opener.
Delaware vs. Colorado pick, best bet
This is supposed to be a cupcake-type matchup where Colorado has a chance to produce a blowout and increase their confidence, but I don’t quite see it that way. Colorado has failed to cover the spread in six of their last seven home games against non-conference opponents and are 0-6 ATS in their last six games as 20+ point favorites. This all came while Hunter and Sanders were still on the roster, and Colorado lost plenty of production beyond the now-NFL players.
The Buffaloes are the better team and should be in line to get the victory, but the 23.5-point spread is simply too large for my liking. Delaware has a proud football program that will not roll over, and Nick Minicucci looked impressive when asked to fill in at quarterback. Expect Delaware to attack Colorado’s concerning run defense and prove capable of putting some points on the board. Look for the Fightin’ Blue Hens to have enough of an offensive pulse that Colorado cannot fully bury them.
While my lean is toward the over, Salter had some growing pains in the opening week that worried me. This is a better matchup for the Colorado starter, but he needs to prove he can lead this offense to a significant offensive output. The Buffaloes’ offense looks quite different with him holding the reins and I need to see him able to lead this team to a monstrous offensive output before I believe it. Ultimately, I expect this game to be far closer than the spread indicates, and it would not surprise me if the matchup is still up for grabs in the fourth quarter. This is an important measuring stick matchup for both sides, but look for Delaware to assert itself as an FBS-quality program and keep the matchup within a three-score margin this week.
