Kicking off at 7:00 p.m. ET across the Week 10 college football slate, the Arizona Wildcats will face off with the Colorado Buffaloes. Arizona enters with a 4-3 record while Colorado has dropped to 3-5 ahead of this Big 12 matchup.
These two programs have faced off 27 times in their history. Colorado has come out victorious in 17 of these matchups, while Arizona has won 10. This includes last year’s 34-7 win by the Buffaloes.
Arizona enters as a four-point favorite and holds -185 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Colorado holds +154 odds of getting the outright victory, with the game total set at 52.5 points.
This article provides a preview of both teams and offers a pick for the Week 10 matchup.
Arizona at Colorado prediction, preview
Arizona Wildcats
Arizona enters with a 4-3 record on the season but is looking to bounce back from back-to-back losses. It has defeated Hawai’i, Weber State, Kansas State and Oklahoma State while its three losses have come against Iowa State, BYU in double overtime and Houston in its previous game. This was a tough loss against Houston in which it tied it up with 4:52 in the fourth quarter and lost on a game-winning field goal. Arizona has had the bye week to stew on this and get healthy, and it is 4-3 against the spread on the season.
Noah Fifita stands in at quarterback and has completed 66.0% of his pass attempts for 1,829 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions while adding 78 rushing yards and three scores on the ground. Ismail Mahdi leads the team in rushing with 445 yards and a touchdown while adding 79 receiving yards and a score through the air. Quincy Craig adds 209 rushing yards and a touchdown while Kedrick Reescano is tied for the team lead with three rushing touchdowns and 177 yards on the ground. Javin Whatley has a team-high 370 receiving yards and three scores while Kris Hutson, Luke Wysong and Chris Hunter have 239+ receiving yards and two touchdowns each. While he has just 10 receptions on the season, Tre Spivey has a team-high five receiving touchdowns along with his 223 yards through the air.
The Wildcats are averaging 31.6 points per game, which ranks 48th in the country, and they add 416.3 average yards per game. Defensively, they are holding opponents to just 292.9 total yards of offense and 20.3 points per game. Arizona has 49 tackles for a loss, 14 sacks and has forced 13 turnovers.
Colorado Buffaloes
The Buffaloes have a different look this season without Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter on the roster. They are off to a 3-5 start to the season with their victories coming over Delaware, Wyoming and Iowa State. Colorado has suffered losses to Georgia Tech, Houston, BYU, TCU and Utah. Its last 53-7 loss to Utah felt like rock bottom, with this marking its third loss in four games. It is 3-4-1 against the spread so far this season.
Kaidon Salter has primarily stood in at quarterback, although Ryan Staub has also played a role. Salter has completed 62.2% of his pass attempts for 1,193 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions while adding 266 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Micah Welch leads the rushing attack with 281 yards and two scores while Simeon Price has two rushing scores and 143 rushing yards of his own. Omarion Miller leads the attack through the air with 430 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Joseph Williams has 370 receiving yards and three receiving scores. Sincere Brown and Dekalon Taylor each add two touchdowns and 385 combined receiving yards.
Colorado is averaging just 22.6 points per game, which ranks 106th out of the 136 qualifying FBS teams. It is generating 333.6 total yards of offense with just 203.5 of these coming through the air. The Buffaloes are allowing 427.6 total yards of offense and 27.4 points per game, which ranks 89th in the country. Colorado has tallied 41 tackles for a loss, nine sacks and just six turnovers on the year.
Arizona at Colorado pick, best bet
Colorado’s offense has struggled all season, including against more vulnerable defenses than what this Arizona team offers. It ranks 36th in opponent points per game and has the 11th-ranked pass defense. The Buffaloes have been held to 21 points or fewer in each of their past four games and in six of the eight matchups overall. In contrast, Arizona has tallied 27+ points in each of its past three games, even while dropping back-to-back matchups, and in five of the seven games this year.
Colorado is looking to bounce back from its low point of the season. How it responds will say a lot about this team with its bowl eligibility hanging in the balance.
But they are going to need some help if the Buffaloes are going to get their desired result. Arizona has a positive turnover differential on the season with Noah Fifita posting a 17-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio not making this seem likely. Colorado has also struggled to generate turnovers this season and this would be a change on its end if it is to have success.
Ultimately, Arizona has the advantage on both sides of the ball and will be prepared to put this on full display. Colorado ranks 90th in rushing production and 95th in passing production on the season. Expect Arizona to attack its 126th-ranked rushing defense, which just allowed 422 rushing yards to Utah in its previous game. I like Arizona’s chances of covering the four-point spread even if Colorado brings its best effort and it should not be a surprise if this game slips to full blowout territory. Count on the Wildcats to put forth a convincing win.
