Colorado and Arizona State will play one more game as Pac-12 opponents in Week 6 before heading to the bigger pastures of the Big 12 for the 2024 college football season. While the anticipation of a new league home means long-term optimism for both programs, the Buffaloes and Sun Devils still have a lot of work to do in 2023. Both teams are winless in the conference after losing 0-2 to start the season. Conference drama. However, as we approach the midpoint of the season, there is bound to be a team that finally breaks into the winning column.
There’s still an undeniable spotlight on head coach Deion Sanders and Colorado after a 3-0 start, but the spotlight has dimmed a bit after two straight losses. After beating Southern Utah in Week 1 to kick off the Kenny Dillingham era, they’ll look to stop the bleeding against an Arizona State team that has lost four straight games, including a Pac-12 loss. Lost to USC and Cal.
Saturday will be the 14th meeting in the series that has been held every year since Colorado joined the Pac-12 in 2011. Arizona State has a 10-3 advantage and has won its past two games, but Buffalo is favored in this game around the time.
Get storylines, facts and some expert advice before Colorado and Arizona State wrap up the Pac-12 series at American Hill Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.
How to watch Colorado vs. Arizona State live
date: Saturday, October 7 | time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Place：American Mountain Stadium-Tempe, Arizona
television: Pac-12 Network | live: fubo (free trial)
Colorado vs Arizona: Need to know
Portal Powers: Arizona State and Colorado are nearly unrecognizable personnel-wise from last season. Not only did the school hire a coach with no Power Five experience, but the new regime also viciously attacked the transfer portal. Colorado led all FBS teams in adding 51 goalies this offseason, with Arizona State in second place with 31 goalies. Sanders’ results came faster than Dillingham’s, but their shared unconventional approach to roster construction could soon become the new normal in college football.
Sun’s adversity piles up demon: Reconstruction cannot be accomplished overnight, but the early going was difficult for the Dillingham regime. Days before the start of the season, the university announced a self-imposed bowl ban on the football team due to alleged violations of NCAA rules by former Sun Devils coach Herm Edwards. As if a four-game losing streak and narrow wins against FCS opponents weren’t tough enough, ASU has also been hit hard by a quarterback injury. Drew Pine, Jaden Rashada and Trenton Bourget all suffered varying degrees of ailments early in the season, leaving the Sun Devils extremely thin at key positions. In Week 5, Bourget did pass for 344 yards at Cal, but ended up with an interception and no touchdowns.
prime time hype decline? Sanders and Buffalo are the talk of college football circles and have a celebrity following after opening the season with three straight wins. That momentum began to wane after losses to Oregon and USC, in which Buffalo allowed a combined 90 points. In addition, key players such as two-way star Travis Hunter and safety Shiloh Sanders have been plagued by injuries, and the offensive line has struggled to protect quarterback Shaddell Sanders. Colorado’s hype train may have been built to overcome the deficit against the top-ranked Ducks and Trojans, but a loss to a struggling Arizona State team could cause irreparable damage going forward.
Colorado vs Arizona Predictions, Drafts
Odds via SportsLine consensus
There’s no question that Colorado has supplanted Arizona State in terms of star talent heading into this game, even with Hunter out. Meanwhile, Buffalo’s defense ranks last among power conference teams — the team is allowing an average of 480.2 yards per game — giving Colorado pause on its way to an easy win on the road. After all, haven’t we learned through five games that Sanders and Buffalo have a flair for the dramatic? All in all, Colorado will go up against a Sun Devils team prone to adversity, but a win could put even more pressure on Coach “Premier” and company. Pick: Colorado-4
What college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 6? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread – all from a proven computer model that has returned nearly $2,500 in profits over the past seven seasons – and find out.
