Colorado vs. Nebraska: Prediction, Preview, Picks and Odds
Week 2 of the college football season is here. Colorado plays Nebraska, and Heartland College Sports has your game prediction, preview, and betting odds ahead of the matchup.
GAME INFO
Saturday, September 7; 6:30 (CT); Memorial Stadium; Lincoln, NE
TV: NBC/Peacock
Records: Colorado (1-0); Nebraska (1-0)
Last Week: Colorado 31, NDSU 26; Nebraska 40, UTEP 7
Series History: Nebraska leads, 49-21-2
Last Meeting: Colorado 36, Nebraska 14 (2023)
Fun Fact: Colorado has won its last three meetings against Nebraska, tying it’s longest win streak over the Huskers in series history. Nebraska’s longest streak in the series was 18 victories, stretching from 1968 to 1985.
Colorado vs. Nebraska Betting Lines and Odds
Opening Line: Nebraska (-7.5)
KEY PLAYERS
Colorado Buffaloes
QB Shedeur Sanders
While North Dakota State is certainly formidable against the run for an FCS team, Colorado will see defenses much better equipped to stymie their rushing attack, which managed just 59 yards on 23 carries last week (2.6 ypc). Thankfully, quarterback Shedeur Sanders continued right where he left off last season, completing 26 of 34 attempts for 445 yards and four touchdowns. The receiving corps – led by Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr. – is formidable, that is if Sanders has time to set and throw.
LB Trevor Woods
Thursday night’s performance from Colorado’s defense was a tale of two halves, with 20 points allowed before half time and just six points after the break. The most consistent player on that side of the ball, though, was linebacker Trevor Woods. The senior defender had 10 stops on the night, with six solo tackles, and seemed to be in or near every play the Buffs’ defense made. As competition rises, Woods will have to be special for CU.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
QB Dylan Raiola
Nebraska true freshman Dylan Raiola was impressive in his first collegiate start, completing 19 of 27 attempts for 238 yards and two scores against a revamped UTEP team, leading the Huskers to a 40-7 win in Week 1. This week, Colorado will provide an entirely different challenge for Raiola, but the former five-star signal-caller has the talent to cause some major issues for the Buffaloes if they don’t find a way to contain Texas transfer Isaiah Neyor, who had six catches for 121 yards and score in Week 1.
CB Malcolm Hartzog Jr.
In a Week 1 matchup with UTEP, junior cornerback Malcolm Hartzog Jr. led the team with five tackles and recorded one of the Huskers’ two interceptions on the day. With Colorado likely hoping that Shedeur Sanders can throw them to a victory on the road, Hartzog and the rest of the Nebraska secondary are sure to be busy. Hartzog is entering his third year with the Cornhuskers and is expected to be a mainstay in the secondary this season.
KEY STORYLINES
Colorado Buffaloes
Can the Buffaloes’ offensive line hold up against the Nebraska front seven? The Huskers have a few question marks on the roster, but the defensive line is veteran-laden, led by seniors Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher. If Colorado had a hard time holding up in pass protection against NDSU, Nebraska has a chance to have a hay-day in the Buffaloes backfield – especially if they can’t establish a run game.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Can Nebraska neutralize the Shedeur Sanders/Travis Hunter duo? This will be a question that everyone who faces Colorado will likely have to answer, as Sanders and Hunter are among the best two athletes in the country. Nebraska doesn’t have two athletes that stand toe-to-toe with these two, but as a team, they appear to have the upper hand. Keeping the Buffs’ star from taking the game over is going to be the challenge that Matt Rhule and Co. have to overcome.
PREDICTION: Nebraska 38, Colorado 30
The rivalry aspect of this game gives me a bit of pause on this pick, but what I saw from these teams in Week 1 – and the game is being played in Lincoln this year – makes me lean toward the Huskers getting the “W” this time around. Colorado’s victory over NDSU had some bright spots, and among those were the performances we got from the Buffs’ biggest stars. However, this feels like a moment when Rhule’s program finally starts to pick up some steam. Raiola appears to be the answer the Huskers have needed at quarterback, and the defense should be a stiff test in Year 2 under the Rhule regime.
While I think the game is close throughout, the Cornhuskers will get a stop and a score in the fourth to pull ahead by double digits in front of a raucous crowd at Memorial Stadium. Colorado’s able to get it within a score a two-point conversion, but runs out of time in the end.
