Colorado vs. Nebraska Betting Preview: ATS Pick, Odds for Big 12 Battle

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Colorado vs. Nebraska Betting Preview

Colorado Buffaloes Betting News, Analysis

If you’re not familiar with Colorado, they’re one of the most talented teams in the country at QB and WR. In addition to likely first-round draft picks Shedeur Sanders under center and two-way star Travis Hunter at receiver (and also corner), the Buffaloes boast three other dangerous pass-catchers: Jimmy Horn Jr., LaJohntay Wester and Will Sheppard.

In fact, it was Horn Jr. who led Colorado in receiving yards against NDSU last week, with seven catches for 198 yards and 1 TD, while Hunter dominated in the red zone (7 catches, 132 yards, 3 TDs).

But Colorado will need to run the ball to keep Sanders out of third-and-long. The overhauled offensive line did not get the job done on that front vs NDSU, as the Buffaloes picked up just 59 yards on 23 carries.

Sanders and his receivers are outstanding, but it’s likely going to be another long year for Colorado if it has do all its damage through the air, especially against quality Big Ten defenses.

The other weakness for the Buffaloes last year, its defense, also struggled in Week 1, giving up 26 points and 277 yards passing on just 22 attempts to the run-oriented Bison. Based on what NDSU QB Cam Miller was able to do last week, Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola looks poised for a big night on Saturday.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Betting News, Analysis

Nebraska’s 36-14 loss to Colorado last year was one of a number of disastrous showings by the Cornhuskers offense in 2023.

Nebraska flew under the radar following last year’s 0-2 start en route to a 5-7 (3-6 Big Ten) record in Year 1 under Rhule because it couldn’t score.

The good news for Nebraska last year was that it allowed just 18.2 points per game, good for the 13th-best scoring D in the nation.

But the Cornhuskers offense (123rd of 133 Division I programs with 18.0 ppg) failed to even reach 20 points most weeks. In fact, Nebraska hit that milestone just twice in nine conference games in 2023. On the season, three Cornhuskers QBs combined to throw just 10 TDs while tossing 16 interceptions.

One of the quickest ways to go from embarrassing to competent offensively is by dramatically upgrading at quarterback. There’s good reason to believe Nebraska did exactly that by landing Raiola, the five-star former Georgia commit who later signed with Rhule’s program.

Raiola’s numbers in his debut last Saturday against C-USA foe UTEP (19-for-27 passing for 238 yards, 2 TDs and no interceptions) should be taken with a grain of salt given the opponent. Still, there’s a real chance Raiola alone will give Nebraska enough offense to be competitive if the defense remains stout.

Not to get carried away or anything, but is Nebraska, which lost its last four games last year by a total of 16 points, worth a longshot bet to reach the 12-team CFP? That would require a massive leap, but the Huskers will likely be favored in each of their first seven games of the year.

Earlier in his career, Rhule improved Temple from 2-10 in his first year there, 2014, to 10-3 in 2016. He also led Baylor from1-11 in 2017 to 11-3 in 2019, but those jumps took place in year three, not year two.

Colorado vs. Nebraska Prediction

The Buffaloes did a solid job keeping Sanders upright against North Dakota State last weekend, but their inability to run the ball on the Bison probably means they’re going to need massive nights from their passing attack every week in the Big Ten.

It’s hard to say at this point in the season how well Nebraska will fare against pass-heavy teams like Colorado — the Huskers’ defensive dominance late last year was impressive, but this Buffs team presents a very different challenge than the run-heavy Big Ten foes that Nebraska shut down last season.

The Huskers are going to have a pronounced advantage at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, but they had that edge last year and still got lit up by Sanders for 393 yards passing in a one-sided loss.

Nebraska should win this one at home, but Colorado’s passing game should keep this close. Colorado at +7.5 is also tempting given how often rivalry matchups like this one come down to the wire (both the 2018 and 2019 Huskers-Buffs matchups were one-score games).

Colorado vs. Nebraska Best Bets

• Under 59 (-110 at bet365)
• Colorado +7.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

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