BYU vs Colorado NCAAF Alamo Bowl Preview and Prediction December 28, 2024.
Posted 2 years ago | Betting Previews and Predictions, NCAAF | 1 comments
BYU vs Colorado December 28, 2024 @ San Antonio, TX
Opening Betting Odds
Spread: Col -3, BYU +3
Moneyline: Col -145, BYU +130
Total: 54.5
Preview
Colorado came into the 2024 season with a season win total of 5. It’s fair to say that Deion Sanders exceeded all expectations with this team in just his second year in Boulder. It didn’t start out that well with poor offensive line play a lingering issue from the previous season.
After a crushing defeat in Week 2 at Nebraska, it appeared that not much had changed. Two weeks later the Buffaloes trailed Baylor 24-10 early, but just second away from a second loss in four games, they tied the game with a Hail Mary TD with zeros on the clock. They went on to win the game in overtime, and that seemed to be the turning point in what ended up being a magical season.
BYU might not have the star power that Colorado has, but the Cougars season was quite similar. This team was not expected to be a contender in the BIG12, but they won their first nine games and looked like a lock to make the Conference Championship Game.
While both these teams had playoff aspirations, they came up just short. Deion said after the Buffaloes final game of the season that he expects all his players to suit up for the bowl game.
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BYU
- 10-2 Overall in 2024
- 7-2 in the BIG12 in 2024
- 7-4-1 ATS in 2024
As impressive as Deion Sanders was with Colorado, you can’t take anything away from Kalani Sitake. His BYU Cougars finished with the #1 defense in the BIG12, allowing 20.1 points and 317 yards per game. Jake Retzlaff had a solid season at quarterback for the Cougars throwing for 2,796 yards, 20 TDs and 1o INTs.
Retzlaff is just one of three Jewish students at the Mormon university, and he goes by the nickname “The B-Y-JEW”. Retzlaff is expected to be back at Provo next year after signing an NIL deal with Jewish food company Manischewitz. “Manischewitz has always been part of my life,” Retzlaff said in a statement. “I grew up with matzo with peanut butter as my favorite snack, and every Passover, my family and I made matzo pizza together. At Chanukah time our tradition was making potato latkes. Now, at BYU, I’m able to share these traditions with my teammates. This partnership is about more than football — it’s about creating connections and celebrating Jewish pride in ways I never expected.”
Colorado
- 9-3 Overall in 2024
- 7-2 in the BIG12 in 2024
- 9-3 ATS in 2024
The Buffaloes made great strides on defense, and the offensive line also got better as the season progressed. Shedeur Sanders finished 3rd in the country in passing yards with 3,926 yards, 35 TDs and 8 INTs.
Travis Hunter ran away with the Heisman, currently priced at -2400 to win the Trophy. He was snubbed for the Jim Thorpe Award, much to the dismay of his coach, who said he played to give him his trophy. Deion won the Jim Thorpe Award in 1988. “I don’t know how in the world is Travis Hunter not a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. They just pretty much messed up all the integrity of the award.”
Relevant Trends
- The Cougars are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games.
- The Cougars are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games when playing as the underdog.
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Brigham Young’s last 5 games played in December.
- The Buffaloes are 1-7 SU in their last 8 games played in December.
- The Buffaloes are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games.
PREDICTION: COLORADO 38 – BYU 17
This will be a matchup of strength versus strength, as the Cougars BIG12 best pass defense will try to contain the high flying Colorado passing attack. The Cougars lost two of their final three games, and could be in a “Dream Crusher” spot after missing out on the Conference Championship Game. If Colorado does have all their starters for this game, it could be a blowout.
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One comment on “BYU vs Colorado NCAAF Alamo Bowl Preview and Prediction December 28, 2024.”
Colorado is going to crush the Cougars. This a perfect set up for Shedeur and Hunter to get more press, and increase their brand and marketing potential.