Led by polarizing head coach Deion Sanders and Heisman Trophy candidates Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, the No 18. Colorado Buffaloes enter Week 3 of the college football season as one of the biggest sports stories in the world. CU will face in-state rival Colorado State, led by coach Jay Norvell, in the first Rocky Mountain Showdown of the Coach Prime era. Kickoff at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo. is set for 10 p.m. ET. Colorado is coming off a massive 36-14 win over Nebraska in its home opener. The Rams are looking to bounce back from a 50-24 season opening blowout loss to Washington State. The Buffs are 23.5-point favorites in the latest Colorado vs. Colorado State odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 63.5 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college football odds page).

Before you make any CU vs. CSU picks or any other college football predictions, you NEED to see which side proven SportsLine expert Jimmie Kaylor is on. 

Kaylor is a NFL, college football, and DFS expert for SportsLine, who has covered the NFL and college football for close to a decade as a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. His background as a former college football All-American and NFL player gives him a unique perspective when building his fantasy lineups and locking in his betting picks. As a Colorado native, he has his finger on the pulse of the local and national sports scene and has been cashing big on Denver area teams for the last two years. Anyone who has followed his picks is WAY UP.

In last week's CU-Nebraska game, Kaylor nailed both of his picks, calling for the Buffs to cover (-2.5) and the game to go Under on the point total!

Kaylor knows the overall talent level and team speed has increased dramatically at Colorado. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders broke nine school records in the team's season opener, and followed that up with another massive performance against Nebraska. Heisman contender Travis Hunter continues his two-way prowess, and wide receivers Xavier Weaver and Jimmy Horn Jr. will be incredibly difficult for the Colorado State defense to contain. 

Kaylor also knows that Colorado State enters this rivalry matchup with nothing to lose. Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi took over for Clay Millen at quarterback against Washington State and promptly led the team on two scoring drives. Wide receiver Tory Horton, a likely NFL Draft pick next spring, will provide a challenge to Colorado's talented secondary.

Now, Kaylor has locked in a confident against-the-spread pick for Colorado vs. Colorado State. We can tell you he's leaning Over on the point total, but he knows a crucial X-factor makes one side of the spread a MUST-BACK! You ABSOLUTELY need to see what it is before locking in any picks of your own.

Who wins Colorado vs. Colorado State in the Rocky Mountain Showdown on Saturday, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? ... Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the Colorado State vs. Colorado spread to jump on, all from the expert who has been cashing big on Denver area teams all year!