TCU vs. Colorado Week 1 College Football Picks: Horned Frogs' Defense Presents Opportunities For Buffaloes

Philip Wood

Last Updated: September 7, 2022 12:48 PM EDT • 1 min 49 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

TCU and Colorado both struggled in 2021. Which team will turn it around in 2022, and what are the best picks for their Week 1 matchup? Check out our TCU-Colorado picks.

TCU gave up a lot of points last season. It gave up 40 or more on four different occasions, and in all seven of its losses, it allowed at least 29 points.

Meanwhile, Colorado struggled without much of a passing game in 2021. It returns starting quarterback Brendon Lewis, who threw for just 1,540 yards last season. However, against a porous TCU defense and with a year under his belt, he should be able to keep the Buffaloes in this game.

Here are our top picks for the college football Week 1 game between TCU and Colorado (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook).

TCU vs. Colorado Week 1 Picks

TCU vs. Colorado Spread Pick

Colorado +13.5 (-105)

TCU opened as a nine-point favorite, and this line has moved heavily in favor of the Horned Frogs. However, even with 82% of tickets coming in on TCU, the line has stopped at 13.5. That’s just a half-point away from the key number of 14.

That’s a bit fishy from Vegas, and when that happens, it’s generally best to go against the public. In this case, we're taking the Buffaloes.

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TCU vs. Colorado O/U Pick

Over 57.5 (-115)

The number opened at 54, and much like the spread has moved in just one direction, so has this total. The number just keeps going up, and it doesn’t look like it will stop. It’s even as high as 58.5 on BetMGM. The reason is simple: TCU has a good offense and a bad defense.

Max Duggan has thrown for 41 touchdowns in three years at TCU. He should have no problem moving the ball against this Colorado defense.

Colorado may want to run the ball against TCU to slow the game down, but it’ll need to score if it wants to have any chance of winning this game. Luckily for the Buffaloes, they will have plenty of opportunities.

TCU vs. Colorado Prop Pick

Colorado First Half Over 11.5 (+105)

There is no question that the Buffaloes struggled to score last year. Yet, their offensive approach could give TCU’s defense problems.

Also, remember that despite the woeful start to 2021, the Buffaloes scored 20 or more points in four of their final five games last year. Their total opened Under three touchdowns for the game, but that number has now gone above 21.

Though taking them to score more than 21 in the game may be a bit ambitious for Week 1, Colorado scoring 13 or 14 in the first half before TCU can make adjustments offers quite a bit of value.

Where to Bet on TCU vs. Colorado

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TCU-Colorado picks made 9/1/2022 at 9:16 p.m. ET

Written By:
Philip Wood

Phil has covered sports betting since 2016, and he has been with SportsBook Review since 2022. He previously hosted the College Football Pick 'Em podcast for CanesInsight.com. He is always looking for value, especially on lines that just seem too good to be true. His belief is that if a line doesn't make sense just assume oddsmakers know something you don't. He also loves in-season futures. There is so much value to be had as the public overreacts weekly. Bettors tend to forget just how long NFL and college football seasons are. After all, the Green Bay Packers were 2-5 in 2023 and they made it to the Divisional Round. When deciding where to bet, it comes down to value over everything. +100 is always better than -110. An alumnus of The U, Phil always holds out hope that the next head coach will be the one who turns the football program around. He is also a diehard Detroit Lions fan and is willing to forgive Dan Campbell for forgetting that a kicker can be useful.