Relying perhaps a little too heavily on Week 1 observations, most national college football analysts are predicting the Nebraska Cornhuskers to snap their three-game losing streak against the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday.
The national media’s confidence in Nebraska stems largely from true freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, who looked strong in the Cornhuskers’ season-opening win over UTEP. Colorado star QB Shedeur Sanders and cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter are also earning their due respect, but many are pointing to the Buffs’ shaky first-half defensive performance against North Dakota State as a reason for concern.
Here’s who the experts are picking in Colorado’s Week 2 matchup at Nebraska:
Joel Klatt of Fox Sports
Pick: Colorado wins, 34-31
Here’s some of what Klatt said: “With Shedeur (Sanders) on the field and Travis (Hunter) on the field, I just cannot in good conscience say that those two elite players — maybe the best quarterback in the game and the best non-quarterback in the game — are going to get beat by 7.5 in a game that they are clearly going to be circling all offseason. I like Colorado in an outright win.”
Pete Fiutak of College Football News
Pick: Nebraska wins, 38-23
From Fiutak: “Nebraska had the ball for almost 39 minutes against UTEP. Colorado had the ball for 23 minutes against NDSU. Sanders will come up with his yards and moments, but there won’t be enough of them to overcome the lack of any ground game and a porous defense.”
Mat Smith of 104.3 The Fan
🦬 This game comes down to who’s most ready for the moment. Give me CU in a classic. Bragging rights for the next decade or more on the line. https://t.co/PhjY4P35Ci
— Mat Smith (@RealMatSmith) September 5, 2024
Pick: Colorado
Bill Bender of The Sporting News
Pick: Nebraska wins, 34-26
From Bender: “Nebraska had four turnovers in last year’s loss. This year they will have just one, and the running game will dictate the tempo much like North Dakota State did in Week 1. Sanders will flash with Hunter again, and we still like the Buffaloes to cover the number. The ultimate sign of progress? Nebraska wins a one-score game.”
Mitch Harper of KSL Sports
Pick: Colorado
From Harper: “Travis Hunter is the best player in college football. He has a ‘Heisman moment’ in Lincoln.”
Bryan Clinton of Heartland College Sports
Pick: Nebraska wins, 38-30
From Clinton: “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.”
Will Helms of College Football Network
Pick: Nebraska wins, 38-20
From Helms: “(Shedeur) Sanders and the Colorado passing offense will hit a few big ones, but the offensive line is only marginally better than last season, and Hunter simply won’t be able to be everywhere all game (though he’ll try). Nebraska’s front will give the Colorado line fits and make it difficult for the Buffaloes to stay on schedule.”
Ralph D. Russo of The Associated Press
Pick: Nebraska wins, 34-21
From Russo: “Year 2 for both coach Deion Sanders at Colorado and Matt Rhule at Nebraska. These are two very different rebuilds, one portal-centric (Buffs led by transfer QB Shedeur Sanders), one more focused on high-school recruiting (five-star freshman QB Dylan Raiola leads the Huskers). This feels like a game that could launch the winner toward a good season and send the loser into questions about where they are heading.”
Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports
Pick: Nebraska
From Jeyarajah: “If Raiola can play a clean game, Nebraska has the pieces up front to make life difficult for Colorado and ultimately escape Lincoln with a decisive victory.”
Tony Cosolo of Buffaloes Wire
Pick: Colorado wins, 31-28
From Cosolo: “CU dominated last year’s game thanks to an explosive offense and an opportunistic defense, and the formula will be similar this year. The Buffs have added weapons on the outside and feature a better offensive line. Nebraska also improved its roster, but I believe CU will confuse Raiola and hold on for the close win.”
This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Who are the experts picking in Colorado at Nebraska?
You must be logged in to post a comment Login