Colorado Odds vs USC: Are Bettors Abandoning Coach Prime?

Patrick Everson Sports Betting Expert

2 minute read

This season in college football, nothing has been more attractive than Colorado odds. But Coach Prime and his Buffaloes got hammered at Oregon in Week 4, losing 42-6 as 21-point underdogs.

It marked the first backward step – and a big one, at that – for the Buffs.

So in Week 5, after that embarrassing loss, how do bettors feel about Deion Sanders and Co.? Here's the latest on Colorado odds vs. USC.

Colorado Odds vs. No. 8 USC

Not Dead Yet

For the past month, sportsbooks across the country have taken boatloads of tickets and action on Colorado. Generally speaking, oddsmakers were upside-down on the Buffaloes every week.

The loss to Oregon finally stemmed the tide. But it's not like everyone is jumping ship on Coach Prime for Saturday's noon ET home game against Caleb Williams and the Trojans.

"We're seeing a lot of two-way action, actually still toward Colorado's favor. That includes respected money on Colorado," Caesars Sports lead college football trader Joey Feazel said.

Caesars opened Southern Cal as a 24.5-point favorite, and the line got as short as USC -21 Wednesday morning before inching up to -21.5. As Feazel alluded to, the dip was mostly due to sharp money flowing toward Colorado.

At DraftKings, the point-spread picture is a bit different. Early bettors are more convinced that Colorado has been exposed and might get more so this week. USC is taking 68% of early spread bets/58% of early spread money.

But if you like USC spread, Feazel indicated you might want to bet sooner rather than later. While the number went down early in the week, he thinks it could rebound toward the Trojans.

"The problem with Colorado is the offensive line isn't giving Shedeur Sanders time to throw the ball," he said. "The Buffaloes are 21.5-point 'dogs this week, and it'll probably go up higher."

Show Me the Moneyline

In Week 4, the larger issue for Caesars and countless other sportsbooks was Colorado moneyline. Bettors piled on the Buffs throughout the week, creating massive liability at prices in the +600/+700 range.

That crush has taken a step back so far this week. But Feazel isn't sure the dam will hold as Saturday's kickoff draws closer, with Colorado +800 to pull the upset.

"Bettors are laying off Colorado moneyline a little more so. We're still heavy on Colorado, but not nearly as much as last week," he said. "But a lot of bettors like to bet a little to win a lot. I suspect we'll see that this week. Maybe a little less action, but a good percentage of bettors are still gonna back Colorado.

"It's the Prime Effect."

Patrick Everson

Patrick Everson is a senior reporter for VegasInsider. Based in Las Vegas since 1994, he's worked in the sports betting journalism/content space for more than a decade. He's most known for his deep roster of contacts behind sportsbook counters, providing readers and viewers with the ins-and-outs of how events are being bet. He's also a thought leader in the sports betting space, often appearing on or moderating panels at national conferences. More from Patrick Everson