College football is officially back! The TCU Horned Frogs will begin their season by traveling to Boulder, Colorado to take on the Colorado Buffaloes. With that being said, it is time to take an exclusive inside look at our college football odds series, where our TCU-Colorado prediction and pick will be revealed.
The Horned Frogs enter the 2022 campaign with a brand new identity. With the departure of Gary Patterson, who first took over as the TCU headman in 2000, the Horned Frogs decided to hire Sonny Dykes who helped lead the SMU Mustangs to an 8-4 record a season ago. With the rumors that TCU might head into Boulder with three different quarterbacks seeing action, the Horned Frogs are certainly keeping their options open.
During the offseason, there was a massive exodus that occurred within the Colorado football program. An absurd amount of players decided to pack their bags and hit the transfer portal to play their college football. Before long, an already down program was left in shambles. Fast forward six months later, and third-year head coach Karl Dorrell swears that this team is in better hands than when he first arrived on campus. Picked to finish dead-last in the Pac 12 preseason poll, the Buffaloes are determined to prove everyone wrong in 2022.
Here are the TCU-Colorado College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: TCU-Colorado Odds
TCU Horned Frogs: -13.5 (-114)
Colorado Buffaloes: +13.5 (-106)
Over: 57.5 (-110)
Under: 57.5 (-110)
Why TCU Could Cover The Spread
Currently sitting at a nearly two-touchdown favorite at -13.5 points, the Sonny Dykes era begins on Friday with multiple question marks at an array of different positions on the gridiron. While many football experts and analysts view TCU as a sleeper pick to win the Big 12 this season, the Horned Frogs will need to find some production on offense, especially with a sense of uncertainty facing the quarterback room. Without a doubt, this TCU squad is facing somewhat of a rebuild this season.
As previously mentioned, all eyes will be on who will be under center. While Dykes has chosen to not reveal who will start in Friday's opener at Colorado, the general public believes that the snaps will be divided between signal callers Max Duggen and Chandler Morris. Redshirt Sam Jackson may also see some time at quarterback. Not to mention, TCU will also have to find a way to replace star running back Zach Evans who has officially packed his bags and is now enrolled at Ole Miss with Lane Kiffin. It will be up to names like junior Kendre Miller in the backfield to provide some fireworks in Evan's absence.
Nevertheless, TCU on paper is the more talented squad and should have a speed advantage out on the gridiron in pursuit of coming away victorious and covering the spread as well. One name that could change the game in a blink of an eye is wideout Quentin Johnson, who has the ability to make NFL scouts drool with his blazing speed, powerful hands, and violent running style after the catch.
Why Colorado Could Cover The Spread
While it seemed that many contributing players decided to transfer to play elsewhere for the 2022 season, Colorado instead has quiet confidence ahead of their matchup with TCU on Friday. Yes, the Buffs certainly lost more than they received from the ultra controversial transfer portal, as big-time names such as Brendan Rice, Dmitri Stanley, Jarek Broussard, Christian Gonzalez, and Mekhi Blackmon all left the team shortly after the 2021 season. These alarming departures were definitely justified, as Colorado finished last season going 4-8 overall after a somewhat promising shortened 2020 campaign that saw CU go 4-1 and even punched their ticket to the Alamo Bowl versus Texas.
To make matters worse, the Buffaloes were one of the worst offenses statistically in all of the country, as they averaged 18.8 PPG while only passing for 131 yards per contest and throwing for a total of 10 passing touchdowns in the entirety of the season. Simply put, Colorado hit rock bottom offensively and it will be hard to imagine that the Buffs don't improve somewhat from last year's disaster on offense.
Even despite all of the negativity surrounding the program in the offseason, Colorado was still able to pick up some key pieces in the transfer portal. For starters, the Buffaloes nabbed West Virginia's leading tackler from a year ago in linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo, who finished with 110 total tackles. Other notable incoming transfers include All-Big 12 wideout R.J. Sneed from Baylor and offensive lineman Tommy Brown from Alabama.
Like TCU, the biggest question mark on this roster comes at the quarterback position between 2021 Tennessee transfer J.T Shrout and last year's starter Brendon Lewis. With both expected to play on Friday, consistency from both will be vital in order to cover the spread and start the season 1-0.
Final TCU-Colorado Prediction & Pick
The Buffaloes may face a stout schedule this fall, but they should largely be improved. While TCU is the heavy favorite, these two schools are closer than what it seems. With the altitude being a factor in Colorado, the Buffs start out their season on the right foot.
Final TCU-Colorado Prediction & Pick: Colorado +13.5 (-106)
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