Deion Sanders' future could hang on how competitive his Colorado Buffaloes play against No. 14 Houston Friday evening in front of a home crowd.
The Buffs (3-6, 1-5 Big 12) are 9.5-point underdogs and face a Cougars (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) team hoping to win out and give the College Football Playoff committee a reason to include them in the 12-team field. Colorado has no wiggle room on bowl eligibility and must win their final three games.
Houston presents a difficult challenge on both sides of the ball, led offensively by quarterback Conner Weigman, running back Makhi Hughes and wide receiver Amare Thomas. The Cougars have one of the Big 12's better run defenses, but their secondary has been vulnerable, giving up 200-yard passing games to every opponent
except Kansas State and Southern.
For Colorado, establishing a balanced offensive attack and limiting Houston's rushing game will be key. CU quarterback Isaac Wilson needs to get it going through the air against a defense that has given up explosive plays.
Here's how our Buffaloes Wire staff predicts Friday night's matchup will unfold.
Colorado vs. Houston score predictions
Ariana's prediction: Houston is a well-rounded team. They have a talented receiver in Amare Thomas, a solid running back in Makhi Hughes, and an underrated quarterback in Conner Weigman. Defensively, they have talented playmakers at all levels, which will make it difficult for Colorado to score. While I believe the Buffaloes' defense will keep this a close game for at least the first half, especially with how Gideon Lampron has been playing lately, Houston will eventually pull away and win. If Colorado loses this game, there could be some massive changes ahead of the final two games of the season.
Score: Houston 31, Colorado 20
Charlie's prediction: I expect a semi-close game, which perhaps is enough to spare Deion Sanders his job for two more weeks. Colorado needs to get its offense going, and against a leaky Houston secondary, that means a balanced attack, including a turnover-prone Isaac Wilson attack downfield. On the other side, Colorado's defense must prevent the Cougars from controlling the game on the ground. Colorado is 0-4 when allowing more than 125 rushing yards, and only one team (Utah) has kept Houston under 150 rushing yards. That stat will decide the game.
Score: Houston 31, Colorado 21
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado vs. Houston football predictions for Week 11 matchup
