Friday, Aug. 29
8 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Pacific
ESPN
The “Coach Prime Show” moves into its latest season premiere. This season of episodes will not contain two of the most electric, entertaining, and compelling figures in 2024 college football. Deion Sanders will not have Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter or quarterback Shedeur Sanders. That’s a lot of lost talent and production, with Hunter giving Colorado potency on both sides of the ball. Those two players will not easily be replaced, which would seemingly lower Colorado’s ceiling in 2025. However, Colorado was not expected to be as good as it was in 2024 even with Hunter and Shedeur on board.
Revamped Colorado Is Home Underdog In The Opener
Will Deion Sanders 2025 Team Sustain Without Son At QB?
Deion Sanders exceeded expectations once. If he did it again, it would rate as a compelling college football story.
On the other side of the field in this matchup is Georgia Tech, a team which defeated Miami last season and took Georgia into several overtimes on the road before barely falling short. Georgia Tech, under coach Brent Key, has a track record of beating top teams. The challenge for the Yellow Jackets is to win all the games they are supposed to win instead of stepping on a rake against comparable or inferior opponents. People inside the Georgia Tech program will tell you this is a game the Jackets should expect to win. Now we get to find out if Brent Key can fully unlock the potential of this team and this program. If Georgia Tech wants to make a run at a 10-win season and a major bowl game, winning this game is non-negotiable.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets-Colorado Buffaloes Odds
Spread: Georgia Tech -4 (-110), Colorado +4 (-110)
Total: 51.5 (Over -118, Under -102)
Underdog moneyline: Colorado +155
Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis Debut
The big news entering this game is that Colorado has decided on a quarterback, and it’s not the one most people expected. Five-star recruit Julian Lewis, who decommitted from Lincoln Riley and USC, was the big name in the CU stable, but Neon Deion has chosen Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter as his QB1 for this game, which points to Lewis being inexperienced and not quite ready to take the reins. Maybe Lewis will play in this game, but Salter is the starter. It’s a big plot point which will generate a lot of conversation. How it will affect this game remains to be seen.
Hear more on this matchup and all of the week one important underdogs with T.J. Rives and Gary Segars on the “3 Dog Thursday Podcast” by clicking play below,
Ultimately, though, this game’s outcome will depend on which Georgia Tech team shows up. Colorado is in transition without Hunter and Shedeur. The game is there for Tech to win, but the Yellow Jackets have to prove they have grown up and are ready to own moments such as this one.
We do think Georgia Tech is ready to take control of a favorable matchup. The Jackets have a veteran quarterback, Haynes King, and strong line play which should be able to keep Colorado under wraps. If you wanted to take Tech minus the points, you could. Folding Tech at -190 into a parlay might be a better move, however. If the game is decided by a field goal, Tech won’t cover. You could wait to see if you get a better in-game line midway through the first half.