Colorado Buffaloes vs Arizona Wildcats Prediction, Odds and Picks for Saturday, 10/19/24

The Big 12 features an afternoon game between former Pac-12 rivals, and we are here with a Colorado Buffaloes vs Arizona Wildcats prediction. The Buffs dropped a game to Kansas State last week, but before that loss, lots of people were ready to crown this team the Big 12 champs, despite the myriad flaws this team has. Arizona, on the other hand, is 1-2 in conference play. The Wildcats have shown moments of promise, but mostly they have looked really bad, including getting smoked by a Kansas State team that barely beat Colorado. Yet here we are with the Wildcats favored at home, and I’m not sure that line makes a lot of sense. This is a spot where the line is suspicious, and also where Arizona is on its last chance to make a believer out of me. But I am going with the Wildcats to cover in this one.

The biggest storyline is the injuries on the Colorado side. Travis Hunter, most importantly, went down with a shoulder injury last week. Deion said on Tuesday that Hunter will play, but many are skeptical. If he plays, the matchup between him and Tetairoa McMillian is a preview of upcoming NFL Sundays. But the Buffs also have several other injuries to their receiving room, and collectively, that takes a toll and has me concerned. This game probably comes down to who can hide their flaws better. Neither team can play defense (except for whichever corner Hunter is locking down). Colorado cannot run the ball to save their lives, and Shedeur Sanders takes way too many hits. Arizona, on the other hand, has massive turnover problems, and they couldn’t cover or tackle in a phone booth. So what do we do? I think Colorado has overperformed (they were manhandled by Nebraska, got super lucky against Baylor, and were somehow outgained by UCF in a 20-point win), and I still think Arizona is better than they have shown. Whether Hunter plays makes a ton of difference, but if I have to make a play before we know his status for sure, give me the Wildcats to cover at home.

Colorado vs Arizona Prediction: Arizona -3 (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.