Colorado at Nebraska: How to Watch, Game time and TV

Deion Sanders and the Buffs travel to Lincoln looking to extend their win streak

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Colorado (1-0) makes the trip west across I-80 to take on their biggest long-standing rival in the Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-0). Coach Prime’s squad coming off a 31-26 win against FCS powerhouse North Dakota State. While Nebraska dismantled UTEP 40-7 at Memorial Stadium. After a three-year hiatus the Buffs and Huskers met last season in Boulder with Shedeur Sanders shining in a 36-14 win. This will be the first time the series shifts to Lincoln playing since 2018 when Colorado beat Nebraska by a score of 33-28. In fact, over 6,000 days have passed since the Huskers last win over the Buffs.

QB matchup: Sanders vs. Raiola in prime time

All eyes will be on the quarterbacks in this matchup. Heisman hopeful Shedeur Sanders for the Buffs and star freshman Dylan Raiola for Nebraska. Sanders once again proved that with time he can pick apart a secondary and did so last week against North Dakota State. CU’s “Grown” QB threw for 445 yards and four touchdowns against the FCS powerhouse. Also, the revamped offensive line for CU allowed only one sack. Another Heisman hopeful and future top ten pick in next year’s NFL draft, Travis Hunter, hauled in seven catches for 132 yards and three touchdowns. Jimmy Horn Jr. caught seven balls for 198 yards and one score. Keeping Sanders upright will once again be the key for the Buffs against a black shirt defense that will be bigger and faster than the North Dakota State. Expect a ten-man rotation on the defensive line for the Huskers, who had two sacks and two interceptions in the win against UTEP. Look for Nebraska to challenge freshman left tackle Jordan Seaton to get in the backfield. The crowd noise will also be a factor forcing CU to use the silent count and make communication difficult for the Buffs. The 90-thousand “sea of red” will be active during this “Red Letter” rivalry.

Raiola was impressive in his Huskers debut, looking all the part of a future star in college football. The Nebraska legacy completed 19-of-27 for 238 yards and two touchdowns. He saw very little pressure against UTEP being sacked just one time. Raiola's two main targets were Texas transfer Isaiah Neyor and Jahmal Banks who each had a touchdown. Neyor led Nebraska with 121 yards on the day. However, the UTEP secondary does not have a player that can take away a team’s best receiver or half of the field like Hunter. CU has depth and experience at the safety position with Shilo Sanders and Cam’Ron Silmon Craig. Look for Raiola and Nebraska to throw at sophomore transfer DJ McKinney. CU will need to establish a pass rush and confuse Raiola with various coverages and different blitzes. If the Buffs can force the freshman star to play fast, the Buffs should be able to reap the benefits of Raiola inexperience at the college level.

Colorado and Nebraska will feature prime time football ideology clash

Who can run it?

Colorado showed once again that they prefer to pass the ball over running it, with 34 passes to 23 rushes. Last year, CU rarely had a back that had ten or more carries in a game. Ohio State transfer Dallan Hayden led the Buffs with nine carries for 20 yards. Sanders had six carries for 17. While CU found success in the air they did not score on the ground. Colorado’s offensive line will be tested by returning starters Ty Robinson, Jimari Butler, and Nash Hutmacher. All three of these players are run stoppers and CU will have to find a way to get to the second level and establish a run game. They’ll need to show that they are committed to running the ball early and often, if CU becomes pass heavy that will play into the hands of the Black Shirt defense.

It's all about the beef up front for Nebraska who were able to get to the second level with ease against UTEP. Nebraska had 47 carries for 223 yards in the win against UTEP. Like the Nebraska of old, they led with the run and they flattened the Miners’ defense. Nebraska will try and run the ball much like North Dakota State did and control the clock. Time of possession against UTEP was a factor with the Huskers dominating. This does two things: it keeps Shedeur Sanders off the field and makes two-way star Travis Hunter stay on the field defensively. Even though Hunter's conditioning is next level, Nebraska will try to find a way to slow down CU’s best player in order to get the win at home.

Memorial Stadium will have the lights on for what could be another memorable game between the Buffs and the Huskers. A win for CU will give the Buffs four straight against their old Big 8 rivals.

Colorado at Nebraska

Saturday, Sept. 7

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET

TV: NBC (Available on FuboTV)

Streaming: Peacock