Arizona State Roundtable: Predicting Outcome of Colorado Matchup

The Sun Devils are favored to secure win number eight on the season on Saturday.

ASU Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham yells out to his team as they play against the Houston Cougars at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Oct. 25, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The 25th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils (7-3, 5-2 Big 12) are set to take on the Colorado Buffaloes (3-7, 1-6) at 6 P.M. MST tonight in what is the final road game of the regular season.

Arizona State on SI writers predicted the ultimate outcome of what appears to be a favorable matchup on paper below.

Colorado looks to have new life after Deion Sanders moved to freshman Julian Lewis as the starting quarterback for the final three games of the team’s season. Wide receiver Omarion Miller has developed an incredible rapport with Lewis recently as well - the Sun Devil secondary will be challenged. However, the lack of a run game from Colorado (51 yards on 38 carries in their last game) along with a porous defense (second worst in the Big 12 ahead of Oklahoma State) might pose too much to secure victory.

The recent standout play from senior QB Jeff Sims should also instill more confidence in Arizona State fans that an efficient offensive showing is in the cards. The Sun Devils should run away with the win at some point in the second half.

When ASU’s schedule first released, this was one of the more anticipatory games of the season. However, the Colorado Buffaloes has had a less than stellar season, so this should be a big win for ASU. The Buffaloes secondary has struggled with containing big throws down the field, and since ASU has great down the field playmakers such as Jalen Moss and Jaren Hamilton. Add in a great ASU running game and a struggling Colorado run defense, this could be one of Offensive Coordinator Marcus Arroyo’s best games that ASU has under his belt.

Under Head Coach Deion Sanders, Colorado has been able to hit the big play down the field, and ASU’s defense has struggled with that, however ASU has the advantage in the trenches with their great d-line play. Overall, Coach Sanders will have this Colorado team ready to fight, but Coach Dillingham and ASU have a more well rounded squad that matches up super well to give ASU a win on the road.

Nov 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders walks along the sidelines late in the fourth quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Lizzie Vargas: Arizona State 27, Colorado 20

Arizona State enters this matchup as a seven-point road favorite, but their road performances this season make this far from a guaranteed win. The Sun Devils have struggled to separate from opponents away from home, with close games against Baylor and Iowa State and a tough loss at Mississippi State. With Jeff Sims now running the offense, ASU has been steady but not explosive, and that makes covering a full touchdown tricky. Colorado, meanwhile, is the biggest question mark in the entire matchup. The Buffs are 3–7, coming off a bye week, and it’s hard to know how invested the players are this late in the season.

Their young quarterback, Julian Lewis, showed flashes but wasn’t impressive enough in his first start to feel confident backing them. Still, playing at home off a bye could give Colorado just enough energy to hang around. In the end, Arizona State is the more reliable team, but not by much. Expect a competitive, low-energy, sloppy game.

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on how the culture that has been cultivated by coach Dillingham showed up against West Virginia here.

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