The Arizona State Sun Devils take on the Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder, Colorado, on Saturday, Nov. 22. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Arizona State is favored by 7 points on the spread with a moneyline of -270. Colorado, meanwhile, enters as a +7 underdog and is +220 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 48.5 total points.
Here’s my Arizona State vs. Colorado prediction and college football picks for Saturday, November 22.
Arizona State vs Colorado Prediction
- Arizona State vs. Colorado Pick: Arizona State 1H -3.5 · Arizona State 1H Team Total Over 14.5
My Colorado vs. Arizona State best bet is to back the Sun Devils in the first half. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Arizona State vs Colorado Odds
| Arizona St Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7 -110 | 48.5 100o / -120u | -270 |
| Colorado Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7 -110 | 48.5 100o / -120u | +220 |
- Arizona State vs Colorado Spread: Arizona State -7, Colorado +7
- Arizona State vs Colorado Over/Under: 48.5 Points
- Arizona State vs Colorado Moneyline: Arizona State -270, Colorado +220
Arizona State vs Colorado College Football Betting Preview
Arizona State Sun Devils Betting Preview: A Load of Uncertainty
It's been almost exactly one year removed from a near run at the College Football Playoff semifinals, and Arizona State is struggling to stay together.
Rumors this week heavily suggested star quarterback Sam Leavitt would leave the school in the transfer portal to play at a "higher level."
Simultaneously, head coach Kenny Dillingham was strongly tied to job openings like Florida. Perhaps a coincidence, perhaps not. Leavitt, transfer or not, is hurt for the season.
Stud wide receiver Jordyn Tyson is battling an injury and might not play again this week. Safety Xavion Alford, the team's best defender, is a threat to miss as well.
Despite all that, the CFP committee ranked ASU 25th in what would be its most divisive ranking of 2025.
Without Leavitt, ASU's entire identity changes. Run-first QB Jeff Sims — yes, that Jeff Sims — steps in, and the Sun Devils become an explosive running team with far less of a passing threat.
In his season debut, Sims rushed for 228 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-19 upset win at Iowa State as a +6.5 underdog.
Defensively, this team is average. It ranks 53rd in EPA Per Play, 65th in Success Rate allowed and 73rd in Points Per Drive allowed.
That defense tightens up with its back against a wall, though. ASU sits fourth in the Big 12 in red-zone scoring rate (78.8%) but also 68th in quality drive rate allowed.
Special teams is usually only brought up for one of two reasons: it's a decided advantage or decisive disadvantage. Arizona State falls in the latter category.
Kicker Jesus Gomez hits just 55.6% on field goals between 40-49 yards and 73% on all field goals attempted this season. ASU has also utilized two punters this season, neither of whom is exceptional, and Matt McKenzie, who was inserted back into the game against WVU, averages just 35.2 yards per punt.
As a result, ASU's defense starts with the seventh-worst field position in the country (average of the 31-yard line).
Rooting for the Sun Devils this season must be an exhausting task. In eight games this year against power conference foes, Arizona State has played in seven one-score games.
Only one game could be deemed noncompetitive, for better (an ASU blowout win) or worse (an ASU blowout loss) — a 42-10 loss at Utah. Regardless of opponent caliber, ASU is going to play that team close.
Colorado Buffaloes Betting Preview: Not So Prime Anymore
It's Year 3 under Deion Sanders, and one has to wonder how much longer this era has left.
Colorado regressed significantly after one pop year with Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. The Buffs fell to 3-7 with a loss at West Virginia that appeared tighter on the final score than it really was.
Freshman quarterback Julian Lewis burned his redshirt to finish out the season ahead of transfer Kaidon Salter. Lewis hasn't brought much of a spark to the offense, sparking debate on the decision to burn that redshirt.
With Salter, Colorado never broke 21 points against power conference foes; under Lewis, it scored 22 against West Virginia (thanks to a desperation field goal with 1:16 left in the game) but then no more than 17.
Colorado was flash-fried against both Utah and Arizona, losing a combined 105-24 with a total 81-7 first-half deficit.
It showed up against a much-improved WVU team, but again, that final score made it appear closer than it was. At least this time, Colorado fought in the second half.
At times, the Buffs defense can be serviceable. Good, even.
It held BYU to 24 points, Iowa State to 17 and TCU to 28 until a last-second touchdown. To open the year, Colorado dueled one-loss Georgia Tech to a 27-20 finish.
But then you have games where offenses bring an avalanche (Utah, Arizona, Houston). It's a team that has a low quit factor when things don't go well early.
Should Colorado stick around, you get good effort from a defense that's nothing if not capable. But jump on Colorado early, and the game is over.
Sometimes, when a team tells you who they are, listen to them.
The last three games for Colorado feature two of the most severe beatings we've seen this year from a power conference team, plus a loss to what boils down to a four-win West Virginia (improved or not).
Colorado simply isn't that good of a football team. The offensive line finally improved for the skill corps to be underwhelming. The defense sits 111th in Points Per Drive allowed and has major tackling issues.
Lewis is a half-baked quarterback who wasn't ready to be pulled into live fire, and his receivers are far below Colorado's last two years. There's no elite individual unit to lean on.
With two games left and nothing to play for, you wonder where the entire staff is. Players are bolstering transfer resumes, and you have to imagine the administration is considering the future of the program.
Sanders' 2026 recruiting class ranks 96th nationally (behind in-state Colorado State!), and it's not a win-now enough roster to attract a top-flight transfer class for next year.
Arizona State vs Colorado Pick, Betting Analysis
Arizona State opened a -4.5 road favorite, a number that climbed to -7 by late in the week.
If you're leaning toward Colorado, you have two very good reasons to:
- The Buffs have a decisive rest advantage, not only coming off the bye but also playing at home AND
- Arizona State could be down its three best players, and its head coach is probably shopping elsewhere
Arizona State does have the better result against a common opponent played in the last two weeks — a home win that was more in favor of ASU than the final let on. WVU scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to make things interesting, while Colorado played catch-up the entire game, but was ultimately kept at arm's length.
The transitive property in college football can be dangerous territory, but comparing recent common opponents should not be thrown to the wayside.
The other factor here is the difference in the famous "Middle 8." The second-to-third quarter turn is the best time of the game for ASU, while that same stretch is Colorado's worst period (h/t to Parker Fleming for his quarter-by-quarter EPA analysis).
Rather than bet against Colorado's tendency to close games late and on Arizona State's inability to finish with the desired final score, I'm looking earlier in the game.
Betting against Colorado in the first half has been a real treat if you've done so since the first bye week.
There's one of two ways to tackle this, and I'll present (and bet) both:
- Arizona State -3.5 in the first half
- Arizona State over 14.5 first-half points
In their last two games, the Sun Devils scored 22 and 17 first-half points, accounting for 80% of their total scoring. In their last three games, Colorado has been outscored, 100-19, in the first two frames.
There's nothing left to play for as a team for Colorado. Knowing what we do about how Sanders conducts business in Boulder, what was the second bye week spent adjusting? My guess is not a lot.
Here's a rare two-for.
Pick: Arizona State 1H -3.5 · Arizona State 1H Team Total Over 14.5
Arizona State vs Colorado Betting Trends
