Kansas State vs. Colorado score prediction for College football Week 7: Expert odds and picks for matchup

The Colorado Buffaloes will host the 18th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats (4-1) on Saturday at 10:15 p.m. ET in Boulder, Colorado.

The Buffaloes (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) enter the game coming off arguably the best performance of Deion Sanders' tenure as the program leader in a 48-21 victory over the UCF Golden Knights on Saturday. Senior quarterback Shedeur Sanders had 290 passing yards with three touchdowns, while Vanderbilt transfer Will Sheppard had four receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown.

The Wildcats (4-1, 1-1) are coming off an offensively dominant 42-20 victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys, which saw a premier performance from sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson, who had 259 passing yards, 60 rushing yards and five total touchdowns.

Kansas State vs. Colorado Score prediction

With two high-powered offenses carrying all sorts of momentum, this matchup will likely come down to defensive stops in the red zone and who can keep the other team to field goals instead of touchdowns. Both the Wildcats and Buffaloes should reach the red zone on most possessions, so those four-point swings can add up quickly.

Sports Illustrated's analytical model notes that Kansas State would be 0.9 points better than Colorado in both teams' current states. In the system's thousands of simulations, Kansas State won the game 52.2% of the time.

FanDuel Sportsbook has the total for this game set at 56.6 with the Wildcats being a minus-3.5 favorite for an implied final score of Kansas State winning 30-27.

All four of the Wildcats' victories this season have been by more than three points, but only two of them combined for more than 57 total points.

For Kansas State, the primary factor in the game will be if Avery Johnson can continue to utilize his rushing ability to confuse the Colorado defense and make defensive back Travis Hunter less of a defensive factor. The Wildcats have had defensive flashes this year and will aim to be aggressive on the defensive line to keep Shedeur Sanders off balance.

For Colorado, the important thing to do is make sure that it's not just Hunter getting the ball. Will Sheppard, along with receivers Jimmy Horn Jr. and Micah Welch, should get involved early so that Hunter will be more likely to be put in one-on-one coverage later in the game.

Where to watch Kansas State vs. Colorado

The matchup between the Wildcats and Buffaloes will have its 10:15 p.m. ET start time on ESPN.

(PLEASE PUBLISH THIS 12-14 HOURS BEFORE THE GAME)