The Colorado Buffaloes will get their 2026 season underway on the road against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Thursday, Sept. 3. Kickoff for this Big 12-ACC battle will be at 6 p.m. MT and broadcast on ESPN. 

Colorado comes into this game as the underdog, with some analysts out there saying it won't be a fair fight.

ACC Analyst Predicts Georgia Tech to "Pummel" Colorado

ACC Network analyst Eric Mac Lain was on “Gramlich and Mac Lain” recently, where he spoke about the season opener between Colorado and Georgia Tech. It’s safe to say Mac Lain is leaning toward the Yellow Jackets in this one. 

“I’m just going to tell ya’ll now, Georgia Tech will run the football 50 times in that game. They are going to pummel those boys at Colorado that look honestly, like a JV team,” Mac Lain said. “They (Colorado) are about to get murdered in Atlanta. It’s over. It’s going to be crazy. I’m excited to see it.”

There’s some bulletin board material for Colorado if they needed it. 

The oddsmakers are on Mac Lain’s side. DraftKings Sportsbook lists Georgia Tech as a seven point favorite with odds of -270 to win outright. Colorado is +220 to pull of the upset. The over/under is currently at 50.5 points. 

These two teams played each other last season in Boulder to open up the 2025 season. Georgia Tech won a close game by a final of 27-20. The Yellow Jackets ended up going 9-3 in the regular season. Colorado on the other hand went 3-9. 

Colorado coach Deion Sanders has an overall record with the Buffs of 16-21 since taking over in 2023. Coach Primes’s Buffs have missed a bowl game in two of his first three seasons. They’ll look to make it two bowl game appearances in four years. 

If Colorado could knock off Georgia Tech, it could give them the early season momentum they need to get to that six win mark to lock up a bowl game berth. After playing Georgia Tech, Colorado will come home and face the Weber State Wildcats, an FCS team. 

In 2025, Colorado beat just one team in FBS. Their other two wins were over FCS opponents. The non-conference schedule is not a walk in the park this season for Colorado. In addition to going on the road for a non-conference matchup against Georgia Tech, they will also be going on the road to play the Northwestern Wildcats out of the Big Ten.

Colorado's win total on DraftKings Sportsbook is at 4.5, with odds of +134 on the over and -160 on the under. If the current odds tell the tale of Colorado's 2026 season, it would mean a second straight season without a bowl game appearance and a third in four years under Coach Prime.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook for the latest news.