2005 Colorado State Rams Handicapping Review

 

By Tom Wilkinson

 

At the conclusion of the 2001 season, Colorado State had developed a quite trendy, fashionable and well-earned sports handicapping reputation as a “sleeper” and “value” team that topped the lists of football picks for many sports bettors. The Rams had just beaten the sports betting odds in five of their final seven games, which included a 45-20 decimation of North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl. This reputation continued into 2002, but a market correction began by that season’s second month as the Rams dropped six of their final ten games against the odds and three of their first four games against the pointspread to start 2003 for an overall record of 5-9 against the sports betting line in that two-year span. Predictably, many sports betting bloggers began to turn on Colorado State, which gave them a temporary boost in their sports handicapping value as they went on to cover three straight games against the odds. But just as it appeared that there would be a sports handicapping market correction, Colorado State dropped four of their final five games against the pointspread, burning prodigal gamblers who got sucked into action on the Rams due to that three game payoff streak. Thus, as 2004 began, Colorado State was slated neither as a “go” or “oppose” team for sports bettor’s lists of football picks.

After a tough 24-27 straight up loss, (but payoff), at Colorado as 4.5-point dogs, the Rams dropped three consecutive games against the odds, all in ugly fashion. They were clobbered 0-49 at defending National Champion USC as 24.5-point dogs, then lost 16-34 to Minnesota as 4.5-point home dogs, and then were shocked by struggling BYU in a 21-31 loss as 2.5-point home chalks. At this point most sports betting bloggers wrote the Rams off as a second division team in the Mountain West Conference that had obviously dropped a notch from the program that was a perennial bowl team in prior seasons.

Colorado State got a bit of their sports handicapping value back and covered back to back games against the odds with wins at San Diego State and at home against Wyoming. They failed to keep their momentum going, however, as they lost three of their final four games both straight up and against the odds to finish 4-7 straight up and 4-6 against the odds for their second consecutive season in the red after four straight non-losing seasons against the sports betting line. The Rams dropped 4 of their final 5 games overall in 2004 against the line.