Nebraska vs Colorado Prediction, Odds, Spread and Over/Under for College Football Week 2
FOX will feature Coach Prime for its second straight Big Noon Kickoff with Nebraska vs Colorado leading the charge for the 10 a.m. MT slate of games. Not a single team in the nation has been as highly scrutinized as the Buffs have been since Deion Sanders took over, but few were able to show out in as shocking of a manner as CU on September 2 in Fort Worth.
Colorado’s 45-42 victory over TCU was enough of an effort for Sanders’ first Power Five program that the AP voters gave the Buffs their first ranking (No. 22) since the COVID-19-stricken 2020 season.
On the other side of the coin, Nebraska lost a game it had been up in against Minnesota 13-10 on August 31 on FOX in a game that gave Cornhuskers fans deja vu from the Scott Frost era. Matt Rhule’s offense couldn’t overcome an inefficient Jeff Sims (11/19 passing, three interceptions) even with the quarterback leading a rushing attack that had 4.9 yards per carry, though the defense did look highly effective in slowing down the Gophers on the other side of the ball.
Does Coach Prime make more believers out of the public? Or is Rhule set to spoil the Folsom Field debut of Sanders’ Buffs in Boulder?
Nebraska vs Colorado Odds, Spread, and Total
The point spread for Week 1 has Colorado as a -3.5-favorite. Nebraska is a +130 underdog on the moneyline, while Colorado is a -155 favorite. The over/under is set at 59.5, meaning that the oddsmakers are expecting a high-scoring affair. All lines are courtesy of BetMGM and are subject to change.
Nebraska vs Colorado How to Watch
Date: September 9, 2023
Game Time: 10 am Mountain Time
Venue: Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado
How to Watch: FOX, which is available on FuboTV.
Nebraska Record: 0-1
Colorado Record: 1-0
Nebraska vs Colorado Key Players to Watch
Nebraska
Jeff Sims: Whether it be what he can scrounge up on the ground against a seemingly vulnerable Colorado run defense, or airing it out against one of the country’s most talented secondaries, what Sims does under center will define whether Nebraska could be competitive in this game or not.
Rhule would be better off tailoring a game plan that masks his Cornhuskers offense’s weaknesses, though that’s much easier said than done against Coach Prime and Charles Kelly’s game-planning.
Gabe Ervin: Gabe Ervin was christened the Cornhuskers’ RB1 ahead of the 2023 season, but it was Anthony Grant who led the RB room in touches in Week 1. Sims nearly tripled his touches as well with 19 to Ervin’s seven.
Look for Ervin to potentially cement his status as RB1 in Week 2 after a 7.9 yards per carry average against the Golden Gophers.
Colorado
Dylan Edwards: Dylan Edwards was the breakout star of Colorado’s Week 1 win against TCU, with everyone seeing Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter as elite FCS transfers capable of wowing at the Pac-12 as well.
While his damage was done in the receiving game, with 135 yards and three touchdowns, Edwards may need to open up the passing game for Sanders by posing as a real threat out of the backfield.
Shilo Sanders: Though his brother got all the hype after a 500+-yard Week 1 outing, Shilo Sanders had nearly double-digit tackles on the defensive side of the ball; playing in the secondary just as his father did at his non-alma mater, Florida State.
Seeing the Shedeur’s older brother emerge as a star on defense would make Colorado’s family affair even more entertaining.
Nebraska vs Colorado Prediction and Pick
Nebraska may be in over its head with Rhule at the helm. Unlike his last run at the Power Five level with Baylor, college football is in a new era of NIL and transfer portal transactions. A No. 28 transfer class doesn’t seem likely to cut.
It definitely won’t against Coach Prime’s top-ranked transfer class, which helped CU look like a potential Pac-12 dark horse in Week 1.