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The Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-1) and the Colorado Buffaloes (1-0) meet Saturday at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo. Kickoff is scheduled for noon p.m. ET (FS1). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Troy vs. Kansas State odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
Nebraska kicked off the Matt Rhule era on a low note, falling 13-10 against Minnesota last Thursday. It wasn’t all bad, as the Cornhuskers led 10-3 late into the 4th quarter. However, the Golden Gophers tied it up, and hit the game-winning field goal from 47 yards at the buzzer to spoil the debut.
You might have heard, but Colorado has a new coach, too. And the Deion Sanders era in Boulder got off to a loud start with an upset win at TCU as 21-point underdogs. The retooled Buffs racked up 565 total yards of offense, including a school-record 510 passing yards by QB Shadeur Sanders in the win.
Detractors will point to the fact the Buffs D allowed 541 total yards and 42 points, while Colorado was also outrushed 262-55. Despite that, it pulled off one of the largest upsets of the 1st full weekend.
Colorado is No. 25 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
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Nebraska at Colorado odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 11:46 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Nebraska +125 (bet $100 to win $125) | Colorado -150 (bet $150 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Nebraska +3 (-110) | Colorado -3 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 59.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Nebraska at Colorado picks and predictions
Prediction
Colorado 38, Nebraska 16
Moneyline
COLORADO (-150) isn’t priced out of line if you just want to take it straight up, and not fiddle around with the points. The Buffaloes entered last Saturday’s game with a lot of hype and press, and the intensity will be turned up even more in the 1st game for Coach Prime in Boulder. However, the new CU players handled all of that without a problem in Fort Worth last week.
Nebraska (+125) looked terrible on offense against Minnesota, and while it’s a small sample size, it just doesn’t look like the Huskers have the horses to run with the Buffaloes.
Against the spread
COLORADO -3 (-110) is getting a lot of attention, almost to the tune of 4-to-1 among the public. It’s hard not to be impressed with how the Buffaloes handled themselves last week, racking up huge yards through the air. Can Shadeur Sanders do it again? Nebraska +3 (-110) was stout defensively in the opener, but the offense was a train wreck. CU certainly passed the eye test, and the hype train will be in full force after another win and cover.
Over/Under
UNDER 59.5 (-110) is lean, but go lightly.
After Colorado’s defense was trampled for 541 total yards, including 262 on the ground, it’s hard to go low. Pinch your nose and roll with it. Nebraska managed just 10 points on offense last week, however, and it allowed 13 total points. It appears the Huskers should be able to slow down the Buffaloes a bit more than TCU did, thus the Under play. But there isn’t a strong conviction, so don’t get carried away.
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