LINCOLN, Neb. — After his team’s first loss of the season and second-lowest scoring output of his tenure, Colorado coach Deion Sanders was left wondering how to get his offense back on track.

The Buffaloes were shut out in the first half, struggled to protect quarterback Shedeur Sanders and finished with 16 total rushing yards in their 28-10 road loss to Nebraska on Saturday night.

Colorado (1-1) fell behind quickly against a foe it beat 36-14 last season and trailed 14-0 when Shedeur Sanders threw an interception from his own end zone that Nebraska cornerback Tommi Hill returned for a 7-yard touchdown, a turnover he called a “rookie mistake.” Colorado ran 11 plays in the first quarter for a net gain of minus-2 yards.

“The way we started is just not indicative of who we are,” Deion Sanders said, “and we just never got it together.”

Facing frequent pressure, Shedeur Sanders threw for 244 yards and one score on 23-of-38 passing. He was sacked five times, and the Buffs went 4-of-14 on third-down conversions. He did not finish the game, exiting for the final four minutes of the fourth quarter as a precaution after a helmet-to-helmet hit.

Shedeur Sanders told reporters afterward he was “a little banged up” but OK and praised Nebraska’s defensive line for its performance.

“Protections were a problem,” Deion Sanders said. “You know, I’m trying to be polite and say it, because you know I can say the same thing you’re thinking, but if I say it, you’d say I’m throwing my guys up under the bus. I’m not doing that whatsoever. Protections were a problem. We gotta figure out a way to prevent that and do a better job with that.”

Colorado couldn’t get much done in the run game to take pressure of its passer. Its running backs combined for five carries for 16 yards through three quarters and failed to convert two fourth-and-1 rushing attempts on the night.

The Buffaloes finished last in FBS in rushing yards in 2023 with 827 through 12 games. They threw for 445 yards and rushed for 59 in their 31-26 win against North Dakota State to open the season. After rebuilding the offensive line primarily with transfer portal additions, Deion Sanders acknowledged his team needs to figure out how to execute a consistent run game.

When asked why it was so difficult for Colorado’s offense to respond to Nebraska’s defense, he replied, “I have no idea. If we would’ve known that answer, I think we would’ve responded quicker. It’s like we just never got it going until it was too late.”

The Buffaloes trailed 28-0 entering halftime after Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola fired a pass over the middle to running back Rahmir Johnson that Colorado linebacker LaVonta Bentley nearly intercepted. Instead, the ball popped up in the air and fell to Johnson, who ran off for an 18-yard score.

“When stuff like that happens, you just gotta take your hat off and say, ‘Oh Lord, it’s not our day, baby,’” Deion Sanders said. “Because that stuff just don’t normally happen. That was crazy. Heck of a play.”

Colorado’s defense didn’t give up another score the rest of the way and forced five consecutive punts in the second half. Deion Sanders was pleased that his team kept competing, but there were far too many mistakes throughout, including nine penalties for 104 yards and a blocked field goal attempt, to put together a rally.

Shedeur Sanders said his team will go back to the drawing board and work to get it right. The Buffaloes are back on the road next Saturday against in-state rival Colorado State, which took the Buffaloes to overtime in 2023, before their first run through Big 12 conference play begins Sept. 21 against Baylor. Against one of the toughest schedules in the conference, they’re going to need a lot more offensive balance — and a lot more points.

“We have a tremendous offense,” Deion Sanders said. “We should be able to move the ball on anyone. We should be able to protect with the experience that we have offensively. We just couldn’t get it going today.”

Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes square off against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a highly anticipated college football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET. Ahead of this Week 2 matchup, the data analysts at Dimers.com have simulated this matchup 10,000 times, then compared the results to current college football betting odds to inform the data-driven betting preview below.

This preview includes Dimers’ best bets and predicted scoreline for Colorado vs. Nebraska. To unlock Dimers’ full suite of data-driven betting insights, which includes daily props, trends, and parlays, sign up for Dimers Pro with promo code SYRACUSE10, which will save you 10% off your first subscription payment.

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Colorado vs. Nebraska betting preview

Explore the interactive widget below to discover the latest spread, total, and moneyline betting odds and probabilities for the Colorado-Nebraska game at Memorial Stadium.

This prediction and best bet for Saturday’s college football matchup between Colorado and Nebraska is from Dimers.com, a leader in sports betting predictions.

Check out all the important details on tonight’s game, as well as the best odds sourced from the top sportsbooks in the country.

Game details

Key information on the Colorado vs. Nebraska matchup, including where the game is and what time it kicks off.

• Teams: Colorado vs. Nebraska
• Date: Saturday, September 7, 2024
• Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Memorial Stadium

Odds

The latest and best odds for the college football battle between the Colorado and Nebraska.

• Spread: Colorado +7.5 (-115), Nebraska -7.5 (-102)
• Moneyline: Colorado +220, Nebraska -255
• Total: Over/Under 59.5 (-105/-115)

The odds and lines featured here are the best available from selected sports betting sites at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Expert prediction: Colorado vs. Nebraska

Utilizing advanced data analysis and machine learning, Dimers has performed 10,000 simulations of Saturday’s Colorado vs. Nebraska matchup.

According to Dimers’ famous predictive analytics model, Nebraska is more likely to defeat Colorado at Memorial Stadium. This prediction is based on the model giving Nebraska a 66% chance of winning the game.

Furthermore, Dimers predicts that Colorado (+7.5) has a 55% chance of covering the spread, while the 59.5-point over/under has a 55% chance of staying under.

These predictions and probabilities are correct at the time of publication but are subject to potential changes.

Colorado vs. Nebraska best bet

Our top pick for the Colorado vs. Nebraska game on Saturday is to bet on Colorado moneyline (+220).

This betting advice is formulated through cutting-edge modeling and valuable wagering intelligence, designed to deliver you the best possible plays.

While Nebraska is more likely to win the game, according to Dimers, taking Colorado moneyline is the best option due to the 2.9% edge found when comparing Dimers’ data-driven probabilities to the sportsbooks’ odds.

Score prediction for Colorado vs. Nebraska

Dimers’ predicted final score for the Colorado vs. Nebraska game on Saturday has Nebraska winning 32-26.

This expert prediction is based on each team’s average score following 10,000 game simulations, offering a glimpse into the potential outcome.

College football Week 2: Colorado vs. Nebraska

Get ready for Saturday’s college football action between Colorado and Nebraska at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, NE, which is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET. To add an extra level of excitement, consider exploring Dimers Pro, where you can get today’s parlay picks.

We emphasize that all of the college football predictions and college football best bets on this page are based on 10,000 data-driven simulations of the Colorado vs. Nebraska matchup, and they are correct at the time of publication to help you make more informed choices when placing bets at online sportsbooks.

It is important to gamble responsibly and consult trustworthy sources for the latest and most accurate information when making online betting decisions.

Colorado coach Deion Sanders called the matchup with Matt Rhule and Nebraska “personal” a year ago and breathed new life into an old Big 8 rivalry. So when Coach Prime and Colorado football meet the Cornhuskers again in Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday, their fans across the country will watch this time on a mostly unfamiliar network. 

The Buffaloes are scheduled to appear on NBC for their Week 2 game, and the broadcast will highlight an unusual quirk that is the byproduct of conference realignment and the Big Ten’s media rights agreements that took effect in recent years. This will be just the second time Colorado has played a regular season game on NBC, and it’s the program’s first game on the channel since the 1995 Fiesta Bowl. 

Colorado, who left the Big 12 for the Pac 12 ahead of the 2011 season and then returned to the Big 12 ahead of this season, went 4-8 in Sanders’ first season and won their 2024 season opener over North Dakota State last week. Nebraska finished 5-7 in 2023 under Rhule and began this season with a 41-7 win over UTEP.  

So why will Sanders and Colorado occupy rare air(waves) on Saturday against one of their old Big 12 foes? Here’s what you should know about how the media rights agreements work for the Big Ten and Big 12, how to watch Colorado-Nebraska, and who’s favored to win in Week 2:

COLUMN: The Prime Show all bling, no bang once again as Colorado struggles past North Dakota St.

Why is Colorado vs. Nebraska on NBC?

The Big Ten became the first conference to sell its media rights to three broadcast networks when 7-year deals with FOX, CBS and NBC totaling more than $7 billion in revenue were signed back in 2022. The contracts went into effect starting last season

Fox will carry 24-32 football games per season during the agreement, while NBC will carry 14-16 games on its linear network and eight games per year on Peacock. Beginning this year, CBS will carry 14-15 Big Ten games per season now that its long-time partnership with the SEC is over. At least 55 conference football games will air on broadcast networks throughout the fall, with the aim of having a nationally broadcasted Big Ten game throughout the entire day.

It means FOX, who remains the league’s primary rights holder, can broadcast a Big Ten game for its Big Noon Kickoff. CBS will also broadcast an afternoon game. NBC, meanwhile, gets a primetime Big Ten game each week.  

As part of the Big Ten’s media rights deals, the three networks coordinated a selection order that has not been publicized. FOX had the first three picks of games this season as the Big Ten’s primary rights holder, according to the Seattle Times and The Athletic, chose Michigan-Ohio State on Nov. 30 and Saturday’s Michigan-Texas game.

It would make sense that NBC had the second pick of Big Ten games this week considering Colorado-Nebraska was one of three games involving Sanders and Colorado that ranked among the top 15 highest-rated regular season broadcasts of the 2023 college football season. Since Nebraska is hosting Colorado, it’s televised as part of the Big Ten’s media rights package. Last year’s game was on FOX. The Big 12 has a seven-year media rights agreement with FOX and ESPN worth nearly combined $2.3 billion combined to broadcast its home games.

CBS, meanwhile, will broadcast this week’s rivalry game between No. 21 Iowa and Iowa State on Saturday afternoon.

How to watch, stream Colorado Buffaloes vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

• Date: Saturday, September 7
• Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC
• Streaming: Peacock, Fubo

Saturday’s game between Colorado and Nebraska will be broadcast nationally on NBC and can be streamed on Peacock or through Fubo, which you can subscribe to with a free trial. 

Watch Week 2 college football games on Fubo

College football 2024: Colorado vs. Nebraska odds, lines

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are favorites to defeat the Colorado Buffaloes, according to the BetMGM college football odds.

Odds as of Thursday afternoon.

• Spread: Nebraska (-7.5)
• Moneylines: Nebraska (-275); Colorado (+225)
• Over/under: 56.5

Looking to wager? Check out the top college football betting apps in 2024, offering the top NCAA football betting promos and bonuses in 2024.

Colorado football schedule 2024

• Aug. 29: North Dakota State (W, 31-26)
• Sept. 7: at Nebraska
• Sept. 14: at Colorado State
• Sept. 21: Baylor
• Sept. 28: at UCF
• Oct. 5: BYE
• Oct. 12: Kansas State*
• Oct. 19: at Arizona*
• Oct. 26: Cincinnati
• Nov. 2: BYE
• Nov. 9: at Texas Tech*
• Nov. 16: Utah*
• Nov. 23: at Kansas*
• Nov. 29: Oklahoma State*
• Dec. 7: Big 12 Championship Game

*- Big 12 game

Nebraska football schedule 2024

• Aug. 31: UTEP (W, 41-7)
• Sept. 7: Colorado
• Sept. 14: Northern Iowa
• Sept. 20: Illinois*
• Sept. 28: at Purdue*
• Oct. 5: Rutgers
• Oct. 12: BYE
• Oct. 19: at Indiana*
• Oct. 26: at Ohio State*
• Nov. 2: UCLA*
• Nov. 9: BYE
• Nov. 16: at USC*
• Nov. 23: Wisconsin*
• Nov. 29: at Iowa*
• Dec. 7: Big Ten Championship Game

*- Big Ten game

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