Colorado vs. North Dakota State: Final thoughts before Coach Prime's second season

The Buffs and Bison will square off for the first time on the gridiron

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado and North Dakota State meet for the first time in front of a national television audience. The matchup marks the official start of Coach Prime’s second season in Colorado and should create a strong indication of how this season will go. NDSU comes in as an FCS school. However, they might be the scariest lower-division school over the last two decades.

The Bison are not a team to take lightly in any context. As the second-ranked FCS team, expect them to be a problem on multiple levels, especially in the running game. There are a number of new factors facing North Dakota State, including a new head coach Tim Polasek, who returns to the school for his second stint. 

The keys to Colorado’s success will come down to if they truly did address the deficiencies of last year. Namely in the trenches and a more balanced attack out of the backfield. If Shedeur Sanders can even get 3-4 seconds before contact, the Buffs offense should look very different than it did last year.

Colorado releases depth chart before North Dakota State opener

CU's offensive line is and will continue to be the largest concern until proven its not. Sanders was the second-most sacked QB last season and can't afford to have another repeat from the 52 sacks he took. For this Buffs team to be successful beyond the “bowleligible” goal, it will be because Shedeur has a clean pocket to advance down the field. 

The Buffs defensive line should be the next largest concern, but given practice looks and the sense of the coaching staff is an indicator of anything, it's that they believe they'll be a strength this year.

Finally, the running game will be a focus for onlookers. Last season, CU struggled to put together any sort of rushing attack after the TCU game. According to Coach Prime and his assistant coaches, they have a stable of five RBs they believe can all get yards after contact when called upon. Charlie Offerdahl will get his first crack as a starter this year. 

Despite a number of questions we expect to get answers to today, this game should prove to be entertaining. Whether it’s a blowout with skill players making big plays or Midwest smashmouth running football keeping this game close. Regardless of how it shakes out, NDSU coming to Boulder should provide some early season fireworks.