Colorado State will look to snap a string of six consecutive losing seasons.
Jay Norvell begins his third year as head coach in Fort Collins. The Rams went 3-9 during his first season and showed progress by going 5-7 last year.
Now the Rams will look to take the next step. Colorado State was 2-2 in games decided by three points or fewer and likely will be involved in more close games, so how the Rams fare in these contests could determine whether they can snap that losing season skid.
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Colorado State Football’s Mountain West Title Odds
Colorado State’s odds to win the Mountain West are +1200, via BetMGM.
Colorado State Football’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
Colorado State’s win total Over/Under is 6.5, with Over 6.5 at +105 and Under 6.5 at -125.
Colorado State Football’s 2024 Schedule
8/31 at Texas
9/7 vs Northern Colorado
9/14 vs Colorado
9/21 vs UTEP
10/5 at Oregon State
10/12 vs San Jose State
10/19 at Air Force
10/26 vs New Mexico
11/2 at Nevada
11/16 vs Wyoming
11/23 at Fresno State
11/30 vs Utah State
Bold indicates Mountain West contests
Key Colorado State Football Returners
2023 All-Mountain West 1st Team
WR Tory Horton
S Jack Howell
All-Mountain West 2nd Team
OL Jacob Gardner
LB Chase Wilson
All-Mountain West Honorable Mention
QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi
S Henry Blackburn
OL Drew Moss
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Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi Leads Colorado State’s Offense
Quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi is looking to improve on an outstanding first season. Fowler-Nicolosi completed 62% of his passes for 3,460 yards with 22 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
The running game wasn’t strong a year ago, although redshirt freshman Justin Marshall rushed for 311 yards and two touchdowns while playing only the final three games. The Rams will look to get more from their ground game after averaging just 92.2 rushing yards per game, which was 123rd nationally.
Preseason Group of Five All-American wide receiver Tory Horton is on the Maxwell Award Watch List. Horton had 96 receptions for 1,136 yards and eight touchdowns. It was his second straight 1,000-yard receiving season for Colorado State after beginning his career playing under Norvell at Nevada. He was also a second-team all-conference punt returner, as he averaged 13.36 yards and scored a touchdown on 11 returns.
A key addition at receiver is Donovan Ollie, a transfer from Cincinnati, where he had just two receptions in 12 games. Before last year, he spent four seasons at Washington State where he started 24 games and recorded 70 receptions for 807 yards and four touchdowns.
Leading the offensive line is center Jacob Gardner, a second-team all-conference selection who began his career at Nevada and has made 45 career starts. Drew Moss started 12 games at guard in his first season with CSU after starting 22 contests the previous two years at Lamar.
The strength of the defense is at safety. G5 Preseason All-American Jack Howell recorded a team-high 114 tackles. He also had three pass breakups en route to earning first-team All-Mountain West honors for the second straight season. Fellow safety Henry Blackburn was fourth on the team with 75 tackles while recording a team-high three interceptions.
Linebacker Chase Wilson returns after being second on the team with 107 tackles. He had 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Defensive end Nuer Gatkuoth was seventh on the team with 53 tackles in 10 games. Defensive end Cam Bariteau started 11 games and made 20 tackles.
2024 Colorado State Football Season Prediction
I predict Colorado State won’t win the Mountain West but will win seven games.
The offense, which averaged 26.1 points per game last year, should be improved, especially with experience at quarterback and receiver. A key will be Fowler-Nicolosi cutting down on his mistakes. Largely due to his 16 interceptions, the Rams had a minus-five turnover margin, which was 101st nationally.
The defense must show improvement after allowing 29.6 points per game, which was 95th in the FBS. If Colorado State goes 2-3 in its non-league games vs. Texas, Northern Colorado, Colorado, UTEP, and Oregon State, then the Rams would have to win five Mountain West games. The schedule is in the Rams’ favor since they don’t play two of the top three expected conference championship contenders – Boise State and UNLV. So in the third year under Norvell, earning a winning record is a reasonable goal.
