Kansas State vs. Colorado prediction: CFB Week 7 odds, picks, best bets

Perhaps a Week 2 road loss to Nebraska wasn’t the end of the world for the Colorado Buffaloes after all. 

The Buffs have won three consecutive games over Colorado State, UCF and Baylor, and have looked excellent in the process.

Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders have been nothing short of marvelous this season for Colorado, but can they keep up their momentum against a hard-nosed Kansas State team on Saturday?

The Buffs enter Saturday’s Big 12 game as 3.5-point home underdogs, and the over/under is set at 56.5 points.

Here’s our prediction and pick for Kansas State vs. Colorado (10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Kansas State vs. Colorado odds

Kansas State vs. Colorado prediction

If ever there was a test for a Buffs team that is on a three-game winning streak, this would be it.

The 18th-ranked Wildcats have been rock-solid in every game except for one – a pounding at at BYU three weeks ago.

Kansas State’s three-headed monster of quarterback Avery Johnson and running backs DJ Giddens and Dylan Edwards has combined for a vast majority of the team’s offense.

That threesome averages a combined 7.2 yards per carry. K-State’s dominance on the ground and in the trenches on both sides of the ball has been its x-factor this season.

The Wildcats’ play between the tackles offensively and defensively has been the difference between a mediocre start to their season and a great one.

They own Pro Football Focus’ 17th-best run grade, 35th-best run-block grade and 33rd-best run-defense grade.

Kansas State vs. Colorado pick

If this K-State team faced last year’s Colorado team, the Wildcats would likely win by several touchdowns.

However, the Buffs have made major improvements year over year, including their play in the trenches defensively.

PFF has assigned them the 12th-highest run-defense grade heading into Week 7.

But here’s the best part for Colorado: Kansas State is one of the weaker pass-rushing teams in the country.

In the Wildcats’ past three games, which were all against P4 schools, they have registered the 18th-lowest sack percentage nationally. 

Betting on College Football?

Colorado is still a non-threat on the ground, and its offensive line has some spotty moments, but Sanders and the Buffs can take advantage of the Wildcats’ secondary with their pass-heavy, high-octane offense. 

The plan should be simple — stack the box defensively and give Sanders time to pick apart a suspect Wildcats secondary offensively.

Pick: Colorado +3.5 (-105, BetMGM)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Andrew Norton handicaps the NBA, WNBA, NFL, college basketball and football, UFC and golf. During the 2022-23 NBA season, he achieved a standout 14.1% ROI, cashing 60% of his NBA spread picks and leading Tallysight in its SportsIQ metric.