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Posted at 10:30 AM EST. Odds subject to change.

Texas Tech +4½ over Colorado

Jones AT&T Stadium – Lubbock, TX

Streaming: FOX

4:00 PM EST. It seems like we are set for another go-around of Colorado-mania, as the Buffaloes are now front and center in the college football world, as they can play for a potential College Football Playoff berth if Iowa State were to lose to Kansas State and the Buffs win out. Though there are so many moving parts to this scenario, the market has flooded to the window to back Colorado because the prospect of Coach Prime in the College Football Playoff is one that the market cannot get enough of. The idea of Travis Hunter winning a Heisman Trophy and setting foot on the field on New Year’s Day in the Fiesta Bowl playing against a big-time team like Ohio State or Penn State is an imagined concept that the market is foaming at the mouth at the prospect of, and thus we will have an opportunity to fade the Buffaloes here and will also be likely presented with several more opportunities henceforth should they succeed.

Normally, we would expect an overreaction to what Texas Tech did last week when they went into Ames, Iowa and knocked off an undefeated and top-10 ranked Iowa State, but that hasn't happened. Coach Prime getting back into the driver’s seat and gaining a ranking in the CFP Poll did happen, thus the Red Raiders here are an afterthought and this is an especially perilous notion, as Tech will get this one in its own backyard and will absolutely feel extremely slighted.

One coach that seldom garners any form of attention is one Joey McGuire. Ever since taking over the Red Raiders two years ago and embarking now upon his third season in Wreck-Em Land, the Red Raiders have posted an eight-win season with a victory against Ole Miss in the postseason. They were considered a dark horse for the Big 12 in 2023 but failed to get there after an unlucky start, and now the 2024-25 iteration could win out and sneak into the Big 12 Championship Game if Iowa State beats Kansas State and if Tech posts a win here. No one is talking Tech’s plight because Coach Joey Mac doesn’t do Aflac commercials nor does quarterback Behren Morton have a huge Instagram following like Shadeur Sanders, but McGuire will have his team ready for this one just as he did last week, and though Morton is not a household name, his QBR on the year sits at 135 for a reason. The Red Raiders can easily win this but we’ll help ourselves to the points.

Sherwood

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