No. 21 Colorado football is back in Boulder for its final game of the regular season for a Friday night game against the rival Utah Utes on Dec. 11. Since both teams joined the conference in 2011, the Utes lead the head to head matchup 7-2. The Rumble in the Rockies will be televised on FOX Sports 1 at 9:30 p.m. ET.
According to ESPN, Colorado football has a 52.5% probability of winning with a -2 spread. Betting on the Buffs has worked out so far as Colorado is 4-0 against the spread this season.
This game is make it or break it for the Colorado football season. With a chance to appear in the Pac-12 Championship, the Buffs need a win over Utah and a UCLA win over USC to win the Pac-12 South division title. Unfortunately for Colorado football, if USC comes out victorious this weekend it won’t matter what happens in the Utah game as the Trojans will win the tiebreaker over Colorado due to having played one more conference game than the Buffs.
The weather will almost assuredly play a factor as there is reportedly a 50% chance of snow with a low of 18 degrees for Friday night, according to Weather.com.
Preview
What a change a year makes. After winning the last two Pac-12 South division titles and appearing in the conference championship game, the Utes find themselves as underdogs against Colorado.
With inclement weather expected, the game should come down to the battle in the trenches as both teams feature two of the best running games with poor passing games in the conference. Both teams are averaging under 200 yards passing, but the Buffs are averaging 245 yards rushing, and the Utes are averaging 185 yards on the ground.
Both teams are also rolling out running backs coming off of career games. Utah’s Ty Jordan led the Utes to a victory over Oregon State with 167 yards on 27 carries while Colorado’s Jarek Broussard single-handedly carried the Buffs offense behind a historic 301-yard performance on only 25 carries against Arizona.
The Colorado offensive line will have to really step up in this one. With left guard Chance Lytle and center Kary Kutsch out, the injury-riddled offensive line is going up against a Utah defense that allows only 104.7 rushing yards per game, the fewest in the conference.
“We are continuing to bring the depth along. The best thing for gaining that expertise for them to do things in a positive way is to get them some game experience,” said CU head coach Karl Dorrell on the offensive line. “That is what we have been able to do this season with some of the guys that probably weren’t slated to play and now are playing. They are answering the call and doing a good job.”
Prediction
With its Pac-12 title hopes in the air, Colorado football will play with its hair on fire. The Buffs haven’t won the South since 2016, and all their eyes are on the prize this week.
Led by linebacker Nate Landman, the Colorado defense has been stellar all season and has a favorable matchup against a weak Utah offense. The Buffs should have no problem stopping the passing game, but the Utes running game should keep them in the game.
The Utah defense will sell out on Broussard every play, and that will result in him having his worst game of the season, but CU quarterback Sam Noyer should be able to lead the Buffs offense well enough to get enough points on the board. Noyer has struggled the last two weeks, but with only one game left, the senior is going to put it all on the field.
The Buffs won’t run away with the game, but the Colorado running game is too strong not to be able to run the clock out in the end. A win over Utah is going to mean an undefeated season for the Buffs, and with how inconsistent the Trojans have been this season, there is a very good chance that Christmas could come early in the form of a UCLA victory.
FINAL SCORE: Colorado 34, Utah 24
Photo courtesy of CUBuffs.com
My name is Colin Bailey and I’m a Los Angeles native and currently a Journalism Major/Sports Media Minor at the University of Colorado Boulder.