Colorado Buffaloes vs. North Dakota State Bison Prediction

Year two of the Deion Sanders era at Colorado kicks off on Thursday night. The Buffaloes opened Sanders’ tenure with an impressive upset of TCU, which was coming off of a run to the national championship game, in Week 1 last season. On paper, Thursday’s game against FCS program North Dakota State shouldn’t be as daunting, but as any experienced college football fan knows, the Bison are not to be taken likely.

Deion Sanders rebuilt Colorado’s roster on the fly in 2023, bringing in an unprecedented numbers of transfers including his sons, quarterback Shedeur Sanders and defensive back Shilo Sanders, and Athlon All-America wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter. The Buffaloes took great steps from where they were in ’22, but had major holes along the offensive line and on defense. Sanders once again heavily utilized the transfer portal as his primary method of program building, with more than 40 transfers joining the team in ’24 (with a similar number transferring out as well). Change is in the air at North Dakota State as well, with first-year head coach Tim Polasek looking to get the Bison back to the top of the FCS. He inherits a talented roster left behind by Matt Entz, who departed for an assistant coaching job at USC.

This will be the first game between Colorado and NDSU. The Bison are no stranger to FBS foes, however, and have six straight wins against them dating back to 2010, including wins over current Power 4 programs Kansas (2010), Minnesota (2011), Kansas State (2013), Iowa State (2014) and Iowa (2016).

Colorado vs. North Dakota State

Location: Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo.
Kickoff: Thursday, Aug. 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: Colorado -10
Over/Under: 60.5
Announcers: Mark Jones, Roddy Jones and Quint Kessenich

Why Colorado Will Win

Colorado has some of the most talented players in the country, led by Shedeur Sanders and Hunter, an All-American-level talent on both sides of the ball. The explosive offense flashed at times in 2023, but was severely hampered by offensive line play, as Sanders was sacked an FBS-high 52 times.

Deion Sanders and his staff went to great lengths to overhaul that unit. Center Hank Zilinskas is one of the only returning players with experience from last year’s line. He’ll be joined by freshman left tackle Jordan Seaton, a former five-star recruit, and projected right tackle Kahlil Benson, a transfer from Indiana. Justin Mayers (UTEP) is set to take over one guard spot, while the other will be manned by either Houston transfer Tyler Johnson or Tyler Brown, a former Jackson State standout who was ruled ineligible by the NCAA in 2023 after following Sanders to Boulder.

Portaling an offensive line is a tall task, but if this new-look group is a step up from the Buffs’ 2023 line (and it would be hard to be worse), Sanders should have time to pick apart a Bison secondary that will be without FCS All-American safety Cole Wisniewski.

Why North Dakota State Will Win

The Bison bring back a pair of experienced quarterbacks —  Cam Miller and Cole Payton — who give teams fits in the run game. Miller is the primary passer for NDSU, throwing for 2,687 yards, 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions a year ago. He and Payton, who will line up all over the formation, each rushed for at least 615 yards and 13 touchdowns a year ago.

The Bison will also feature a retooled offensive line, but have consistently put out pro talent at the position. With Hunter taking away one side of the field, expect NDSU to pound away at the Buffaloes up front, control the clock and do their best to keep the ball out of Sanders’ hands. Colorado has addressed this vulnerability through the transfer portal, but after surrendering more than 176 yards per game on the ground, they have to prove they can limit and ground attack like NDSU’s.

On defense, the Bison have a number of players who can get after the quarterback, led by defensive end Dylan Hendricks, who had 6.5 sacks a year ago.

Related: Ranking All 134 College Football Teams for 2024

Final Analysis

There is renewed optimism at North Dakota State, with the energetic Polasek taking over the team. At a program where an 11-4 season and FCS playoff semifinal berth is a disappointment, the expectation is to go into Boulder and win. Colorado has a bit too much talent at the skill positions, however, and after the team’s brutal collapse in 2023, they won’t be looking past the Bison. Expect Sanders to put up big numbers and lead the team to a win, though this one will be a game well into the fourth quarter.

Prediction: Colorado 34, North Dakota State 28

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