Colorado vs. Oregon picks, predictions: Week 4 college football odds, spread, lines

Expert game picks and predictions for Colorado vs. Oregon in this highly-anticipated Week 4 college football clash in the Pac-12
Colorado vs. Oregon picks, predictions: Week 4 college football odds, spread, lines
Colorado vs. Oregon picks, predictions: Week 4 college football odds, spread, lines /

This weekend brings us a huge conference clash out in the Pac-12 between a pair of ranked teams, one expected to be here and one shocking the world so far through three games as No. 10 Oregon welcomes No. 19 Colorado in college football's Week 4 action on Saturday.

Colorado has well outpaced preseason expectations, marching out to a 3-0 record behind some top-flight skill players, led by quarterback Shedeur Sanders, already to 1,251 passing yards with 10 touchdowns and one interception. But the Buffaloes will be without star two-way player Travis Hunter for this game, and likely two others, as he recovers from an injury.

Oregon should be the toughest test Colorado faces to date, boasting a productive offense full of agile skill threats, led by quarterback Bo Nix, good for 77 percent of his passes with 8 touchdowns and no interceptions, aided by a rushing attack good for 7.2 yards per touch with 11 touchdowns so far.

What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.

Colorado vs. Oregon picks, predictions

Oregon Ducks running back Bucky Irving on a rushing attempt during a college football game.
Colorado vs. Oregon picks, predictions / USA Today Images

Oregon odds: Despite the hype coming in, the computers are leaning heavily on the Ducks, who are projected to win the game outright based on 93.8 percent of the 20,000 simulations the index runs through to pick winners.

Colorado odds: Conversely, that leaves the Buffaloes as the projected winner in just 6.2 percent of those simulations.

Point spread: Oddsmakers are likewise skeptical of the Buffaloes, who come into the game as 21.5 point underdogs against Oregon, according to the lines at SI Sportsbook.

Total: 69.5 points

Moneyline: Oregon -1613, Colorado +700

Oregon predictions: Fresh off a big win over Hawai'i, the Ducks moved up 3 spots on the index's 133 football rankings, projected to be 21.1 points better than an average opponent, estimated to win 10.3 games, and with a 23.8 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff.

Colorado predictions: Down 6 spots on the index's rankings despite the win over Colorado State, the Buffaloes slid owing to a projected per game scoring margin of 0.4 points against an average opponent, projected to win 6.1 games and lose 5.9.

Colorado vs. Oregon schedule

When: Sat., Sept. 23
Where: Eugene, Ore.
Time: 1:30 p.m. MT, 12:30 p.m. PT
TV: ABC network
Stream live: fuboTV (Try for free)

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College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season and games, using a combination of key analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, team talent, recruiting, and a team’s schedule.

College football rankings

A closer look at the AP top 25

First-place votes in parentheses

  1. Georgia (57)
  2. Michigan (2)
  3. Texas (3)
  4. Florida State (1)
  5. USC
  6. Ohio State
  7. Penn State
  8. Washington
  9. Notre Dame
  10. Oregon
  11. Utah
  12. LSU
  13. Alabama
  14. Oregon State
  15. Ole Miss
  16. Oklahoma
  17. North Carolina
  18. Duke
  19. Colorado
  20. Miami
  21. Washington State
  22. UCLA
  23. Tennessee
  24. Iowa
  25. Florida

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks


Published
James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He previously covered football for 247Sports and CBS Interactive. College Football HQ joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022.