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Nebraska is an early favorite over Colorado in high-profile Week 2 clash
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Nebraska is a touchdown favorite over Colorado in Week 2.
After the Buffaloes opened the season with a 31-26 win over North Dakota State on Thursday night, the attention has shifted to a massive showdown in Lincoln between Deion Sanders’ hype house and Matt Rhule’s Cornhuskers.
At DraftKings, the Huskers are a 7-point favorite in the game. But there hasn’t been much movement from the summer, when Nebraska opened as a 6.5-point favorite.
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GET THE APPColorado will come to Memorial Stadium having won each of the 3 games since the series resumed in 2018 — the first time since the 1950s that Colorado has won 3 straight games over Nebraska. CU won a late thriller in Lincoln in 2018, then came back to beat the Huskers in overtime at home in 2019. In 2023, Nebraska turned it over 4 times in a 36-14 loss — the largest defeat in the series since the infamous 2001 game.
That was Sanders’ introduction to the rivalry. He spent the week leading up to the game talking about how the matchup was “personal” and then Colorado players found motivation in perceived slights from Husker head coach Matt Rhule.
The lead-up to this season has been less noisy from Colorado. Sanders generated headlines when he clashed with local media in Colorado, but the “us vs. them” narrative that drove CU early last year has been less pronounced. Instead, the attention has been on Colorado’s talent.
It shined on Thursday night in the win over North Dakota State, but the warts were still present. Shedeur Sanders threw for 445 yards and 4 touchdowns while completing 76% of his passes. Travis Hunter caught 7 balls for 132 yards and 3 scores. Jimmy Horn Jr. had 7 catches for 198 yards and a score. But Colorado also couldn’t run the ball and struggled to get a grip on the game against the Bison.
NDSU ran for 157 yards and held a lead throughout most of the first half.
How Colorado matches up with Nebraska at the line of scrimmage will be a major storyline. The Huskers ranked sixth nationally last season in run defense and ninth in pass efficiency defense.
Against an FCS opponent, the talent disparity was evident. That won’t be the case for CU against the Huskers.
Kickoff from Lincoln next Saturday, Sept. 7, is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.