Colorado at Nebraska
Date: Saturday, September 7
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
This is the Week 2 game that will certain gather — regardless of result — a lot of headlines. The matchup is a renewal of an old Big 12 rivalry and a rematch of last year’s 36-14 CU victory in Boulder.
The Buffaloes are coming off a narrow 31-26 win over North Dakota State, which is historically the best FCS program. However, the Bison aren’t as good as some of their past teams that included NFL first-round picks Carson Wentz and Trey Lance.
Last week, Nebraska opened the Dylan Raiola era with a 40-7 victory over UTEP. Raiola is a true freshman QB and was one of the top players in his recruiting class. His father Dominic played at Nebraska before becoming a longtime offensive lineman with the Detroit Lions, and his uncle Donovan is the Cornhuskers’ offensive line coach.
Getting Raiola to flip his commitment from Georgia was a huge boost for head coach Matt Rhule, who faces higher expectations in his second year in Lincoln.
The pick — Nebraska team total OVER 33.5 (-120, FanDuel)
In terms of the side and total of this game, I would lean toward Nebraska -7 and over 59. So instead of forcing bets on two plays I don’t have much confidence in, I’ll just isolate the Cornhuskers’ team total and bet the over on that.
The reason I lean toward Nebraska is its edge in the trenches. I want to bet on the Cornhuskers offense because it’s also a bet against Colorado’s defense, which still has a lot of work to do after its performance against North Dakota State.
What’s keeping me off the Nebraska point spread is the Buffaloes’ dangerous offense. With QB Shedeur Sanders and wideouts Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr., Colorado has the ability to cover as a big underdog.
Since my most confident opinion on this game is the Cornhuskers will score regardless of game state, I recommend a bet on their team total OVER.
Season record: 4-1, +2.96 units