Colorado vs Houston Pick & Prediction – 9/12/2025
The Houston Cougars and Colorado Buffaloes will meet in a Big 12 matchup on Friday night. This is the first Big 12 game of the season for both of these teams and they will be eager to get into the win column to start the conference season. Colorado has made headlines going into this game with a quarterback change on the horizon. Before these teams take the field on Friday, you can find my Colorado vs Houston prediction below.
Our Colorado vs Houston Prediction
- Pick: Houston -6.5
- Confidence: 3/5
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Game Snapshot
- Teams: Colorado Buffaloes vs Houston Cougars
- Date & Time: Friday, September 12, 2025, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: TDECU Stadium, Houston, TX
- Broadcast: ESPN
Key Storylines
- Colorado’s new era on offense: Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter won the QB1 job going into the season. But they have announced that they are going to give the start to Ryan Staub. Staub opened this season as the third-string quarterback but he impressed against Delaware in his first chance to shine last week.
- Colorado played three quarterbacks in their win over the Blue Hens last week. Salter, Staub, and freshman Julian Lewis all saw action. We could see that again in this game but it will be Staub to get the first action here.
- Houston is off to a fast start against inferior competition this year. They have outscored their first two opponents by a combined score of 62-9. This will be the biggest test of their season so far, though.
Quarterback Play
Staub completed seven of his 10 pass attempts for 157 yards and two touchdowns against Delaware. This will be his first chance to prove himself as a starting quarterback in high-level college football and how he handles that pressure will be interesting to observe.
Texas A&M transfer Conner Weigman has played well at the start of his time with Houston. Weigman has completed nearly two-thirds of his pass attempts through two weeks. He has thrown four touchdown passes and has not thrown an interception yet. If he can continue to avoid turning the ball over, Houston could roll again here.
Betting Trends & H2H
- Colorado is 0-1-1 against the spread for the season.
- Houston is 2-0 against the spread through two weeks.
- Historical note: The only meeting between these teams was the 1971 Bluebonnet Bowl. That game was won by Colorado. This is their first Big 12 meeting.
Colorado vs Houston Model Projection
Score Projection: Colorado 20 – Houston 27
Win Probability: Colorado 42%, Houston 58%
Final Thoughts
Houston should be able to shut down the offense of Colorado in this game. It is clear that the quarterback situation is a mess for the Buffaloes early in their first season post-Shedeur Sanders. I don’t think they will get that quarterback situation ironed out on the road in their conference opener. My best bet for this game is for Houston to win and cover the spread at home to improve to 3-0 on the season.
