Colorado @ Nebraska preview
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, NE)
Last Meeting ( Sep 9, 2023 ) Nebraska 14, Colorado 36
Colorado will go for its fourth straight win over longtime rival Nebraska when the Buffaloes travel to Lincoln, Neb., for Saturday night's game.
The Buffaloes have never won four in a row in the series that dates to 1898. Nebraska leads the all-time series 49-21-2 and won every meeting between the schools from 1968-1985.
"I just look at this as a really good football test for two teams," Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said. "Two teams that have plans on being good teams and want to be relevant at the end of the year."
Nebraska is 1-0 after thumping UTEP 40-7 in its season opener last week. The story was quarterback Dylan Raiola, who threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns in his debut and was recognized as Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
The 40 points were the most by Nebraska since 2021 and the first time they won their season opener in five years.
Colorado was the talk of the college football world early in the 2023 season. Last year they dismantled Nebraska 36-14 in a game marked by a pre-game incident with Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders breaking up a Cornhuskers huddle on the Buffs' logo.
"I've never met him before, but I have watched him for the past couple of years. I have a tremendous amount of respect for that guy -- what he has to deal with everything that comes with being a Sanders. I just have a lot of respect for how he's handled it," Raiola said.
"I think he's an elite-level quarterback, and he's gonna give us what we want. We just have to prepare -- first-round quarterback, the whole nine. I respect him a lot and am excited to compete."
Raiola's father also played at Nebraska and in the NFL. Dominic Raiola was a center for the Detroit Lions from 2001-2014.
Neither side is approaching the game with any animosity, at least not yet.
"We're going to dominate the day as best that we can. ... So I love it. I think that's what college football is all about, whether we're in the same conferences or not. But this is a tremendous rivalry, and I look forward to it," Colorado coach Deion Sanders said.
Shedeur Sanders threw for 445 yards and four touchdowns in the Buffaloes' 31-26 season-opening win over North Dakota State last week. Two-way star Travis Hunter played all but two snaps, catching three touchdown passes and making three tackles.
--Field Level Media