Abilene Christian at Colorado

Colorado beat North Texas 67-64 in an October 18 exhibition, shooting 47% to North Texas's 37%, and Tad Boyle said afterward that North Texas had 14 more possessions. Turnovers and offensive rebounds drove that gap. Abilene Christian is built on the first of those. It ranked third nationally in turnovers forced per game last season at 16.4, and fifth in steals at 9.7. The Wildcats finished 14-19 and went 5-13 in the WAC. The United Athletic Conference coaches picked them seventh of nine this season. Colorado has won its last 18 home openers and its last 10 season openers. Under Boyle, the Buffaloes are 112-9 in nonconference home games. A pressure defense that produced a 5-13 league record is not getting scarier by moving up to a Big 12 roster. I make Colorado the play on the spread against an Abilene Christian team playing its first game with 11 new players and without Noah Bolanga, its preseason all-conference pick, whom the NCAA has ruled ineligible.