North Dakota State vs. Colorado Best College Football Prop Bets for Week 1

Reed Wallach | Aug 28, 2024

Oct 28, 2023; Pasadena, California, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) throws the ball against the UCLA Bruins in the first half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

All eyes will be on Boulder, Colorado Thursday night as year two of the Coach Prime era begins against FCS powerhouse North Dakota State.

The Buffaloes, led by quarterback Shedeur Sanders, is a considerable favorite at home against the visiting Bison as the team looks to match its hot start from 2023, but follow it up with a strong finish to the season in the Big 12.

With a ton of intrigue around this matchup, let's project how Sanders will do from a player prop perspective. Let's get to it with our favorite prop bets for Thursday's opener.

Best Player Prop Bets for North Dakota State vs. Colorado

• Shedeur Sanders UNDER 304.5 Passing yards
• Charlie Offerdahl OVER 34.5 Rushing Yards

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Shedeur Sanders UNDER 304.5 Passing Yards

Sanders is a talented passer and will be facing a fairly stout North Dakota State defense that will likely look to limit the explosiveness of the Buffaloes offense with the talent it has at wide receiver. 

Further, are we sure the Buffs are going to be slinging the ball around for four quarters with a high-leverage game against Nebraska? The game can be a Colorado blowout win, which may see Sanders sit a bit earlier than a normal workload, or is a cagey effort that sees Sanders underperform metrics. 

The Buffs finished the season averaging four seconds longer per play over the last three games after the team went to Pat Shurmur at offensive coordinator, a more pro-style play caller, over the frenetic tempo that former OC Sean Lewis deployed. 

This number is overrating the likely game script for Sanders to get over this mark. 

Charlie Offerdahl OVER 34.5 Rushing Yards

Offerdahl is ahead of Ohio State transfer Dallan Hayden on the depth chart, which may mean nothing, or maybe it means that he has earned the opportunity for some more reps in the opening game. 

The Buffs ran the ball on nearly 50% of snaps under Shurmur’s play calling last season (46%), a sign that the team may protect Sanders a bit more instead of a high-volume passing game. 

Coach Prime on Charlie Offerdahl getting a scholarship:

“It’s nothing we gave him. He took it.” pic.twitter.com/JN9H1WnruL

— Romi Bean (@Romi_Bean) April 27, 2024

Given the fact that he was named RB1, I’ll count on him to get a handful of touches and get the opportunity to clear this modest mark, even if it's a full timeshare with the highly touted Hayden. 

---

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Follow Reed on Twitter @ReedWallach and get all his college football bets on betstamp @rw33

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.