Ricky Dimon
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The Colorado Buffaloes are among the marquee attractions in college football this season and they will be paraded on national television yet again, this time in a Friday night situation. Colorado is looking to build on last weekend’s victory over Arizona state when it hosts the Stanford Cardinal. Whereas the Buffaloes have accounted themselves well so far in 2023 and come in with a 4-2 record, the Cardinal are struggling at 1-4 straight up.
Here is my Same Game Parlay for the festivities, which will be televised starting at 10:00 pm ET on ESPN. Also be sure to check out our full Stanford vs Colorado predictions.
Colorado -13.5 alternate spread (+108)
Shedeur Sanders over 2.5 touchdown passes (-160)
Elic Ayomanor to record 60+ receiving yards (+225)
Parlay odds: +862
Part of the value in a Same Game Parlay, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is some of the plan here, as Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders throwing a few touchdown passes would obviously work well with a big win for the Buffaloes. At the same time, plays that aren’t correlated drive up the overall payout of the parlay. That is the case with backing Stanford wide receiver Elic Ayomanor to rack up his fair share of yards. But even if that happens, there is no reason why Colorado can’t take care of business. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
Colorado -13.5 alternate spread (+108)
Colorado is “only” an 11-point favorite against Stanford. That may seem like a lot of points for in general, but keep in mind this is Stanford we are talking about. The Cardinal are horrible. They are in the midst of a 4-game losing streak that includes a loss to Sacramento State. This stretch also features a 56-10 drubbing at the hands of USC – the same USC team that scraped past Colorado 48-41. Head coach Deion Sanders’ team has already exceeded its over/under win total of 3.5. A lot of bettors got it at 4.5 before it was knocked down by the under being hammered. Those who have under 4.5 still have a mathematical chance…but not much of one! Colorado should win this game and win it big. If Stanford surrendered 30 points to Sacramento State, just think how many it will yield to Colorado. I don’t see Sanders and the rest of the offense being stopped – and probably not even contained.
Shedeur Sanders over 2.5 touchdown passes (-160)
Stanford is saddled with one of the worst passing defenses in the nation. It is fourth-to-last in college football, allowing 305.8 yards per game through the air on 8.3 yards per pass attempt. The Cardinal have also surrendered 12 passing touchdowns. It’s safe to say that Sanders should be able to capitalize. The Dallas native has already thrown for more than 2,000 yards this season and he has 16 passing touchdowns compared to only 2 interceptions. Sanders has tossed 4 TD strikes on 3 occasions. Asking him to pass for 3 tonight should not be too much.
Elic Ayomanor to record 60+ receiving yards (+225)
This play actually doesn’t conflict too much with Colorado winning by multiple touchdowns. After all, if the Cardinal are playing from behind the whole night they will be forced to air it out early and often. That would naturally lead to more passing yards for QBs Ashton Daniels and Justin Lamson and more receiving yards for Ayomanor. The Alberta, Canada native reached the 89-yard mark in a game earlier this season and has made at least 3 receptions in every contest except against USC. Tight end Benjamin Yurosek, who is tied with Ayomanor for the team lead in receptions, has basically done nothing since Week 1. It’s up to Ayomanor to step up against a porous Colorado passing defense.
