College Football

Bettors all in on Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders, Colorado vs. Oregon

Updated Sep. 23, 2023 2:46 p.m. ET

For three weeks now, "Coach Prime" and his 19th-ranked Colorado Buffaloes have been at the center of the college football betting universe. What's been even more striking is that action on Colorado has been outstripping betting on the large majority of NFL teams.

Going into the college football Week 4 odds market, Colorado is a three-touchdown underdog at No. 10 Oregon, but that isn't stopping the Colorado bets from coming in. Public/recreational bettors seem to see it as a challenge, if not a dare. So they're punching their tickets once again on the Deion Sanders Express, as 97% of bets are on Colorado to upset Oregon at BetMGM.

BetMGM senior trader Cameron Drucker and professional bettor Paul Stone provide their insights on the college football betting-palooza that is currently the Colorado Buffaloes.

Let's dive into the action.

Show Me the Moneyline

At BetMGM, Oregon opened as a 17.5-point favorite when odds first hit the board Sunday morning. Within a couple of hours, the Ducks had already been bet up to -19.5, and by lunchtime on Monday, Oregon was up to -21.

On Tuesday evening, the line crept back to Oregon -20.5, where it remained late Wednesday night.

While Colorado +20.5 is no doubt popular, it's the moneyline — currently Ducks -1000/Buffs +650 — that's causing consternation behind the counter.

"As you would expect, Colorado is getting almost all of the handle so far, on both the spread and moneyline," Drucker said, noting it's almost all public/casual bettors at this point. "Not a massive amount of sharp action either way here. But this could easily end up being our largest liability of the season thus far on Colorado moneyline."

Bettors are hoping to go back to the well that paid handsomely in Week 1, when Colorado was a 21-point underdog at TCU and won outright 45-42. At +650 this week, a $10 Colorado moneyline bet would profit $65 (for a $75 total payout) if the Buffaloes pull another big road upset.

Will Coach Prime and Colorado upset the Ducks?

FOX Sports’ RJ Young previews the huge game between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Oregon Ducks.

Not Bullish on the Buffs

Such a nice little payout is certainly attractive and becomes even more so for those who plunk down $20, $50 or $100 on Colorado. However, Stone won't be one of those people. And he's got plenty of good reasons for not backing the Buffs.

Among the best of those: two-way standout Travis Hunter (wideout/defensive back) won't play Saturday due to a lacerated liver, absorbed on a late hit last week against Colorado State. But Stone, who makes his bones as a college football betting expert, cited another key drawback to backing Colorado this week.

"Colorado State had almost 500 yards of offense in the double-overtime loss at Colorado. The Rams finished with 499 yards," Stone said. "So it's not unreasonable to believe Oregon is good for at least 600."

If the Ducks are on the field long enough to rack up 600 yards, the Buffaloes will be hard-pressed to keep up. Stone isn't advocating for an Oregon bet, as he's not wagering on either side here. It's a stay-away game for him, one to watch and hopefully enjoy.

Will Coach Prime and Colorado upset Oregon on the road?

Joel Klatt previews the showdown between the No. 19 Colorado Buffaloes and the No. 10 Oregon Ducks.

Heisman Hype

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, son of Coach Prime, remains the +1800 sixth choice for the second straight week in BetMGM's Heisman Trophy odds. Still, that's a huge climb up from Sanders' opening odds of +12500.

Sanders is No. 1 in ticket count at BetMGM, slightly ahead of teammate Hunter, who's currently off the board due to the aforementioned injury. Reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams of USC is third in tickets. However, Sanders has taken more than 2.5 times as many bets as the Trojans QB, who is the +350 favorite.

Sanders is also No. 1 in money wagered on odds to win the Heisman. Hunter and Williams are again Nos. 2 and 3, respectively.

Remember, one savvy Sanders speculator put $1,000 on the Buffs QB at +12500. If Sanders ends up on the podium in December, that bettor will profit $125,000. Not a bad position to be in at this point.

Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He's based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas