College Football

Bettors all in on Deion Sanders, causing huge swing in Nebraska-Colorado spread

Updated Sep. 7, 2023 1:34 p.m. ET

Week 1 was certainly wild and successful for bettors who got aboard the Coach Prime Train. But Week 1 pales compared to the college football Week 2 odds market.

After seeing Deion Sanders & Co. win straight up as huge underdogs in Week 1, plenty of public/recreational bettors are already piling on the Colorado Buffaloes in various ways. Even one of the sharper college football betting minds is intrigued by the Buffaloes, who host Nebraska in Saturday's Big Nook Kickoff on FOX Sports and the FOX Sports App.

BetMGM senior trader Cameron Drucker and professional bettor/handicapper Paul Stone help us dive into what will potentially be one of the most massively bet matchups in history.

Behind the Counter

In Week 1, BetMGM was among several sportsbooks that took a big beating from Buffaloes bettors. Colorado closed as a 21-point underdog at No. 17 TCU, and the Buffs were in the +700 range on the moneyline.

Yet behind QB Shedeur Sanders — the head coach's son — the Buffs won a shootout 45-42. The subsequent impact on the Nebraska-Colorado point spread was massive.

"Interestingly enough, this was one of the games we chose to open up in the summer. We had Nebraska -8.5 as the original number," Drucker said.

On Sunday afternoon, when BetMGM reopened the Week 2 matchup, Colorado was a 2.5-point favorite. That's an 11-point swing. And even that hasn't proven enough.

"After the Buffs' performance last week, that number is now Colorado -3.5," Drucker said. "It's been all Colorado here, as you would expect. Not a ton of sharp action on this one yet, so it will be interesting to see if there is any line movement later in the week."

BetMGM data analyst John Ewing also shot out this revealing Tweet on Tuesday:

Yes, you read that right. The Colorado-Nebraska game has more bets on it than 14 NFL games this weekend. The Prime Time impact is real.

Professional Opinion

Just four quarters into Coach Prime's debut as Colorado coach, Stone said he has shifted from a naysayer to a believer.

"Colorado is a 3-point home favorite against Nebraska, which implies these teams are essentially even on a neutral field," Stone said. "The Buffaloes have way more firepower on offense, and I don't see the Cornhuskers being able to keep up."

So Stone said he'll play Colorado -3 this week. But that's about as far as he'd go with this spread.

"At -3.5 or worse, I wouldn't be as enthusiastic," Stone said.

As of Wednesday night, bettors could still get Colorado -3 at some spots. But as noted above at BetMGM, 3.5s are starting to pop up. If the public keeps piling on, or if a few more sharps such as Stone get involved at -3, this line is due to go higher.

So, if you want to bet on Colorado, then it's more likely a matter of the sooner, the better. But if you feel the hype train is about to run off the rails, and you like Nebraska, then perhaps wait to wager until closer to this noon ET Saturday kickoff.

Joel Klatt breaks down Colorado's Shedeur Sanders' performance vs. TCU

Joel Klatt broke down Colorado Buffaloes' Shedeur Sanders’ best and most clutch moments from Saturday’s matchup against the Horned Frogs.

Heisman Hopefuls

Thanks to some superb individual efforts in Colorado's upset of TCU, BetMGM's Heisman Trophy odds have been turned upside down. A week ago, Buffs QB Shedeur Sanders was a 125/1 long shot (+12500, bet $10 to win $1,260 total).

By Monday morning, Sanders vaulted to +4000. Sanders threw for 510 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions against the Horned Frogs. He's now +3300. One savvy customer put $1,000 on Sanders at +12500. Granted, there's a long way to go, but that bet could profit $125,000.

Two-way starter Travis Hunter — a defensive back and wide receiver — also massively improved his stock. Hunter, in for 129 plays, made a huge interception in the shadow of the goal line and had 11 receptions for 119 yards. Hunter was +15000 a week ago, stood at +3500 Monday and is now even shorter than Sanders at +3000.

Hunter and Sanders are Nos. 1-2, respectively, in the Heisman ticket count at BetMGM. And Hunter is second and Sanders third in money wagered on, behind only reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams of USC.

Hand-in-hand with that, Hunter and Sanders are 1-2 in liability at BetMGM.

Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He's based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas