Colorado Buffaloes
2010 record:  5-7 overall, 2-6 conference
2010 Bowl Game:  N/A
2010 ATS:  5-6-1
2010 O/U:  6-6
Returning starters:  17 total (9 on offense, 8 on defense)

Over the month of August, our team of writers will be previewing the top teams heading into an exciting 2011 campaign.  The college football handicappers at Maddux Sports are also preparing and have season-long packages readily available for clients.

Let’s take a trip to Boulder, Colorado and check out head coach Jon Embree’s first camp as the program begins its first year in the Pac-12 Conference.

Offense

Senior quarterback Tyler Hansen will be the starter on opening day for the second straight year and is coming off a ruptured spleen that cut his 2010 campaign short after seven starts.

Hansen is already 11th in all-time passing yards on campus and is extremely accurate, connecting on 68.3 percent of his passes before going down with injury.  It has continued to be a strength for him, hitting 74 percent of his throws in three spring scrimmages.

Another senior joins him in the backfield, running back Rodney Stewart is coming off a 2010 campaign that saw him rush for 1,318 yards and his 2,744 is currently fifth on the all-time list.

Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy was a star in the backfield in Boulder and will likely pound the ball with Stewart and company.  The Buffaloes ranked 48th nationally in gaining 140.3 yards a game on the ground in 2010.

Top receiving targets for Hansen will be tight end Ryan Deehan, who was a John Mackey Award candidate last year, while Toney Clemons and Paul Richardson return on the outside.

The offensive line is anchored by All-America candidate Ryan Miller at guard, but received a huge blow when center Mike Iltis quite the team during the summer after suffering a second major knee injury.

Defense

The defense is an area of concern with cornerbacks Jalil Brown and Jimmy Smith gone, as most of the lettermen returning have had the bulk of their playing time on special teams.

Four players return with starting experience in the secondary, but the unit led the school to finish 110th nationally against the pass a year ago.  That’s definitely not a statistic that will hold up well in a pass-happy conference with talented quarterbacks.

The defensive line has the most returning experience and the group registered the most quarterback sacks (34) at Colorado since the 1995 campaign.  Senior end Josh Hartigan is the leader and is coming off a seven-sack junior year.

Special Teams

Sophomore Justin Castor is likely to handle placekicking duties this year, as he’s shown improvement during the spring and has a very strong leg.  True freshman Will Oliver is also expected to challenge him leading up to the season opener in Hawaii.

Another second-year player in Zach Grossnickle is expected to handle the punting responsibilities.

Against the Spread

Colorado has tallied a 3-9 ATS mark versus current members of the Pac-12 Conference since the 1999 season, including an 0-6 ATS run as a favorite.

Bet On

Don’t miss out on playing Colorado against in-state rival Colorado State in Week 3, as the Buffaloes have covered three of the last four meetings.

Fade Away

A trip to Stanford could turn ugly, as the school has failed against-the-spread in three-straight meetings.