Early odds clearly not buying Deion Sanders Colorado turnaround

The odds are not in Deion Sanders’ favor entering his first season at the helm of Colorado.

In time, Deion Sanders could have overwhelming success at Colorado, but the Buffaloes seem to be up against it with regards to the oddsmakers.

FanDuel Sportsbook released a handful of intriguing college football betting lines this week. Brett McMurphy of The Action Network shared several of them, including a pair involving the Buffs. While Colorado should get a tip of the cap for scheduling Power Five teams like TCU and Nebraska in the non-conference, the Buffaloes are not expected to win either of the non-conference games.

Colorado is a 17.5-point dog at TCU, while it is getting 6.5 points at home vs. old rival Nebraska.

This is not going to be an 1-11 team again, but anything more than a 6-6 mark would be fantastic.

Oddsmakers have little faith in Deion Sanders, Colorado in the non-conference

Look. Being a 17.5-point road dog at TCU is not the end of the world. Sonny Dykes took the Horned Frogs to the national championship game in his first season on the job. TCU could be a potential regression candidate, but the Horned Frogs could become the new Big 12 equivalent of Auburn, a top-15 program that recruits as such and will be a title contender every few seasons.

On the other hand, laying more than a touchdown at home to the Huskers is a horrible look. Although Colorado will have to prove it on the field, UNL is their traditional rival from the Big Eight/Big 12 days. Even more damning, Nebraska has been a complete and total tire fire for the better part of a decade. They have a new head coach in Matt Rhule, but this is a massive rebuild.

I think what these two lines signify are that TCU is still a quality team in the Big 12, but is poised to pull back in some capacity this fall. Why would they not? The Horned Frogs are coming off their best season in multiple generations. As far as the Nebraska line is concerned, the oddsmakers feel UNL has had talent, but was undeveloped by Scott Frost. Rhule is an elite college program builder.

Overall, winning either of these games in the non-conference would be a huge deal for Sanders in year one at Boulder. Should the Buffs win the Rocky Mountain Showdown over in-state rival Colorado State, that would mean CU would only need to go 4-5 in Pac-12 play to achieve bowl eligibility. The coaching in this conference is outstanding, but Colorado has the Coach Prime factor.

Ultimately, how the Nebraska game unfolds at Folsom Field will go a long way towards how CU’s first season under Sanders shakes out. This is a litmus test of sorts for the Buffs. Even if Colorado only wins four games this season, nobody is going to blame Sanders for that mark. Gargantuan rebuilds like this take time. As long as the Buffs are competitive, he will have unwavering support.

Simply put, the quicker Sanders and his staff can flip this roster, the better off the Buffs will be.

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