T.G.I.F.
I am not one to use this corny acronym. But with a week 1 slate as incredible as the 2025 college football schedule brings us, this glorious weekend is worth the utmost appreciation.
Amidst a stacked slate, we’re going slightly off the radar and heading to Boulder, Colorado where the Buffaloes will host Georgia Tech (Friday at 8pm ET on ESPN). After back-to-back 7 win seasons, the Haynes King-led Yellow Jackets (-4 & -192 ML on DraftKings Sportsbook) look to kick off the ’25 campaign with a statement road victory. Meanwhile, Colorado head man Deion Sanders will coach his first game since 2020 without his son under center; is Coach Prime nothing more than a Shedeur/Travis Hunter merchant? Tonight’s tilt should start to paint that picture.
Player Prop: Kaidon Salter
The signal caller responsible for filling Shedeur Sanders’ shoes is the focus as the most appealing player prop. Salter transferred in from Liberty this past offseason and was officially named the Buff’s starter just two days ago. The 5th-year senior played in 35 career games for the Flames and poses as a dual threat quarterback (though his 56% completion percentage last season may suggest otherwise). Salter beat out 5-star, true freshman Julian Lewis for the job but figures to still factor into the gameplan based on some recent Coach Prime comments.
Even with questions about Georgia Tech’s passing defense, I am skeptical Colorado’s man under center can take advantage. Salter’s stellar passing display in 2023 was followed up with a poor one (yards per attempt dropped from 9.9 to 7.2), ultimately seeming as a case of water seeking its level. Yet the super senior sure can run; per Pro Football Focus, Salter (since 2023) is tied for the most QB explosive runs in the entire FBS with 66. Just last year, 7 of 11 Salter starts saw him rush for 48+ yards. It’s safe to say Colorado O.C. Pat Shurmur will lean into Salter’s best trait.
Tech should score early and often behind the prowess of returning offensive studs in Haynes King and Jamal Haynes (first among all returning Power Four RBs since 2023 with 2,005 rushing yards). With the Yellow Jackets presumably ahead for much of the game, Salter will drop back more frequently and have plenty of opportunities to take off. And with a hot-shot freshman just behind Salter on the depth chart eagerly awaiting his chance, the QB1 better prove his value on the ground before CU faithful start clamoring for the kid. If Kaidon can avoid taking sacks (Colorado returns OT Jordan Seaton, one of the better pass blocking tackles in the nation per PFF) which, in case you forgot, count against a quarterback’s rushing total in college (don’t get me started on how dumb that is), he should be in great shape to eclipse his rushing prop total.
The Pick: Kaidon Salter 40+ Rush Yards (-104)
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