TCU at Colorado Prediction for Week 1

TCU Horned Frogs

One of the Big 12’s best offenses in 2021 should be even better under new head coach Sonny Dykes, who knows how to get things done on that side of the ball. The Horned Frogs are loaded at receiver, Max Duggan is a guy that doesn't get enough credit at the quarterback position, and they will have a good running game behind a veteran offensive line. They have all the pieces on offense to be one of the best yet again in 2022 and they should be an opponent that most defenses fear coming into the game.

Colorado doesn't have much of a pass rush, and they have yet to prove they have much of anything going on offense. The Buffaloes struggled to get to 20 points in most games. They only scored more than that four times last season with the second-worst offense in college football yardage-wise. I don't know if they did enough recruiting wise and through the transfer portal to improve a great deal. Colorado needs QB JT Shrout to be amazing coming off a torn ACL or Brendon Lewis has to take that next step in his development.

Colorado Buffaloes

There is some good news for Colorado. For one, TCU has almost zero pass rush or ability to stop the run. The Horned Frog defense was a total disaster in 2021, and a lot of that had to do with the fact that the defensive line play was atrocious. They made no improvements either, and they have had no games leading into this one to get them up to speed. This is a TCU run defense that allowed 222 yards per game, and they will get pushed and tested right away in this one.

While the Buffalo's offense isn't great by any means, I fully expect the running attack to come out of the gates on fire. They have a much improved offensive line after Tommy Brown from Alabama transferred, and they should be able to dominate the poor defensive line TCU will have out there. Another advantage is the fact that Colorado matches strength for strength with TCU's great downfield weapons. The secondary may be the best unit that Colorado deploys this year. If they can contain the Horned Frog offense, they certainly will have a shot to win.

My Favorite Bet: Colorado ML

Both of these teams were pretty bad in 2021, which was unexpected. I think the Buffalos offense will be far better with a new offensive line in play, and the running attack should be able to bully the TCU front. For all of Colorado’s problems last year, they were 3-0 at home after a loss to USC, and 0-5 on the road. TCU was 0-4 on the road over the same stretch. This will come down to who makes the clutch play towards the end of the game in my opinion.

The spread is massive, which I believe is ridiculous. Colorado can definitely win this game, and I will go so far as to say I'd take them on the money line to do just that. If you aren't comfortable with taking that, take the point spread. Either way, Colorado is far more likely to win than the current numbers at sportsbooks seem to indicate.

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