College football lovers, stay tuned to watch today’s NCAAF Week 9 Colorado State vs Fresno State game. Colorado State vs Fresno State Prediction, Game Preview. Colorado State vs Fresno State Broadcast. Fresno State kicked off its 2020 season last week with a home loss to Hawaii and now the Bulldogs are home underdogs to Colorado State on Thursday night at 10:00 p.m. ET. Will the Bulldogs rebound with a win or are the Rams a better bet to cover?
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Colorado State vs Fresno State Broadcast
Date: Friday, October 29
Game Time: 10:00 ET
Venue: Bulldog Stadium, Fresno, CA
Network: CBS Sports Network
Colorado State (0-0) vs Fresno State (0-1) Game Preview
Why Colorado State Will Win
Where did it go wrong in Fresno State’s 34-19 loss to Hawaii at home last Saturday?
The Bulldogs were able to move the ball well, but they turned it over four times, and shockingly against a Hawaii team – even with its new coaching staff under Todd Graham – the run defense got destroyed.
Fresno State gave up 323 yards on the ground, and new Ram head man Steve Addazio is going to want get the attack rolling right away. There’s a good mix of speed and thump in the Colorado State backfield, the offensive line will be okay – at least that’s the hope – and the passing attack should have enough to stretch the field in the opener.
Colorado State has tape on Fresno State. It’ll get running. However …
Why Fresno State Will Win
Fresno State QB Jake Haener threw three interceptions in the opener, but he’s a talent who should settle in.
So many teams across the board are a whole lot better than they looked in their openers, and that should be Fresno State. The timing away a bit off, RB Ronnie Rivers didn’t get rolling, and it was hard to get control of the game with Hawaii running so well.
However, the talent and pieces are there on offense to more balanced – the running game isn’t going to be that mediocre too often – and the defensive line should once again be great at getting into the backfield. The Bulldogs generated four sacks last week, and they should live behind the line against a new-look Ram offensive front that will be good in time, but has to be sharp from the start.
What’s Going To Happen
Colorado State’s offense will try to run right away, but it’ll have limited success against a Fresno State defense that’s going fix the glitch after not being able to handle Hawaii QB Chevan Cordeiro when it took off.
The Bulldog O will still sputter a bit, but it’ll have a sharper all-around Game 2. Being at home doesn’t mean what it normally does, but Fresno State isn’t losing two in a row.
– Week 9 College Football Schedule, Predictions
Colorado State vs Fresno State Prediction, Line
Fresno State 31, Colorado State 27
Bet on Colorado St vs Fresno St with BetMGM
Colorado State -1.5, o/u: 59
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Must See Rating: 2.5
5: Halloween (either Siouxsie and the Banshees or Ministry version)
1: “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”
Game Snapshot
157 Colorado State Rams (-1.5) at 158 Fresno State Bulldogs (+1.5); o/u 59
Bulldog Stadium, Fresno, CA
10:00 p.m. ET, Thursday, October 29, 2020
TV: CBSSN
Colorado State Rams Game Notes
Colorado State HC Steve Addazio said on Tuesday that he doesn’t feel an urgent need to name a starting quarterback due to the possibility that someone could miss a game. Redshirt juniors Patrick O’Brien, Todd Centeio and Justice McCoy were all listed as possible options on the depth chart released ahead of what should have been Colorado State’s season opener vs. New Mexico. But with that game being canceled due to state-instituted COVID-19 protocols that the Lobos have to abide by, the competition extended for another week. On Tuesday Addazio cited the unpredictable nature of this season as a reason for his not naming a starter, and O’Brien (6’4/230) missed a significant amount of time in preseason camp for undisclosed reasons. All three have taken first-team reps in practice, and it looks likely that a starter won’t be declared before Colorado State’s matchup with Fresno State Thursday night.
Fresno State Bulldogs Game Notes
Fresno State redshirt junior QB Jake Heiner completed 17-of-31 passes for 289 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions in Saturday’s 34-19 loss to Hawaii. Credit to Haener for leaving it all out on the field in his first start. Even despite the inconsistency and string of interceptions, he never wavered in trying to take shots down the field to get back in the game. That should prove valuable later on in the year. However, in this game, Haener’s aggression tipped too far over into recklessness and hurt Fresno State’s chances to keep this one close in the second half. Haener is a recent transfer from Washington who has only had one offseason with the Bulldogs, so perhaps some live reps after a couple games can help him settle in. Fresno State face Colorado State next week.