The Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens take on the Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder, CO. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
Colorado is favored by -23.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -2800. The total is set at 49.5 points.
Here’s my Delaware vs. Colorado prediction and college football picks for Saturday, September 6.
Delaware vs Colorado Prediction
- Delaware vs. Colorado Pick: Colorado -23.5
My Colorado vs. Delaware best bet is on the Buffaloes to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Delaware vs Colorado Odds
| Delaware Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+23.5 -105 | 49.5 -115o / -105u | +1300 |
| Colorado Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-23.5 -115 | 49.5 -115o / -105u | -2800 |
- Delaware vs Colorado point spread: Colorado -23.5
- Delaware vs Colorado over/under: 49.5 points
- Delaware vs Colorado moneyline: Delaware +1300, Colorado -2800
Delaware vs Colorado Preview
Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens Betting Preview: Rolling With a Backup
Delaware comes into this one off of an 18-point win against Delaware State at home last week. The final wasn't as indicative of how close this game was, as the Hornets remained competitive deep into the fourth quarter despite coming in as 30.5-point underdogs.
Delaware starting quarterback Zach Marker went down with an injury on the Blue Hens' second drive of the game and is feared to be out for the remainder of the season.
Backup Nick Minicucci threw the ball well, completing 28-of-36 passes for 251 yards, and was the team’s leading rusher.
The ground game lacked explosiveness, but Delaware State couldn't cover the underneath passing attack Delaware deployed.
Defensively, Delaware surrendered far too many explosive runs against the Hornets, which is concerning, as this was a bottom-10 FCS offense last season.
I worry here about the Blue Hens being outclassed talent wise and playing at elevation with an already thin defensive unit.
While on offense, I expect Colorado to have a major advantage in the trenches.
Colorado Buffaloes Betting Preview: Bounce Back Spot
Colorado comes in off a crushing 27-20 loss against Georgia Tech in which the Buffs were outgained significantly and benefited from three first-quarter Tech turnovers. However, they could only capitalize once off of them.
For the first time in a long time, Colorado showed a commitment to the ground game, which it abandoned at times last season.
The Buffs ran for 146 yards on 4.7 yards per carry and effectively used Kaidon Salter as a weapon on the ground. I was encouraged by the style of play, and I anticipate Colorado having tremendous success on the ground against an undersized Delaware front.
Defensively, Colorado struggled with the power rushing attack of Georgia Tech, but it won't face anything close to the talent level possessed by Georgia Tech.
I expect the front seven for Colorado to create havoc against the Delaware offensive line, which struggled at times to protect Minicucci against Delaware State.
Delaware vs Colorado Pick, Betting Analysis
I'm going to lay it here with Colorado.
Colorado really should have its urgency heightened against Delaware after a tough season-opening loss.
I would expect Delaware to struggle defensively with the run game that Colorado has shown a renewed commitment to, with Salter being able to create with his legs here.
Delaware State quarterback Kaiden Bennett had two long quarterback runs last week that were called back due to holding that didn’t register in the box score, but it was a problem for Delaware defensively.
Delaware just had a quarterback go down with an injury and this group has battled injuries consistently during Ryan Carty’s tenure.
I can't imagine he lets the first-string platoon hang in there once this game gets out of hand, as this team needs to stay healthy to get through the rigors of an FBS schedule in year one. Don’t expect Minicucci to play much once the pressure starts mounting and he takes big hits.
This is the farthest west Delaware has played a game in 22 years and it's playing at elevation, completely out of its element.
I worry about the depth of the Blue Hens defensively. This group will play hard and compete, but I think the talent deficiency is too much to overcome here, and not having the bodies adjusted to higher elevation will compound the issue.
I look for Delaware to fade fast in the second half, where Colorado can punch in a few more “feel good” scores and race out in front of this number, which has been moving toward Colorado since we saw the openers come out on Sunday.
Pick: Colorado -23.5
