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00:00The renewal of a big eight rivalry tonight in Lincoln, Nebraska between the Cornhuskers
00:09of Nebraska and the Buffaloes of Colorado.
00:12We welcome you back to college football today live right here on Sports Grid.
00:17Now just a six and a half point spread in favor of the Huskers will dive deep into the
00:22game and the odds in just a moment.
00:25The 73rd all-time meeting between these two former conference rivals from 1948 until 2010.
00:32They met each and every season.
00:34They've only met three times since 2018 in Kev.
00:38Colorado has won all three, including last year in a home debut in Boulder of the prime
00:44era.
00:45Deion Sanders and the Buffs answering the call after the huge upset last season against
00:50TCU.
00:51The line went crazy.
00:52Nebraska was a road favorite entering.
00:54It then quickly got down to Colorado, laying two and a half for that home opener of the
00:59prime era.
01:00And they made good on the number, winning 36 to 14.
01:04Colorado has won three straight.
01:06Deion Sanders has the advantage in head-to-head against Matt Ruhle.
01:09But now a six and a half point spread in favor of the Huskers at home tonight in Lincoln.
01:14How do you see the changing numbers?
01:15So I think it shows that Colorado is getting some respect here.
01:19This is one of those spots where I want to be very cautious with spread math because
01:23no team put books in a blender like the Colorado Buffaloes last year early season.
01:28They caught about three touchdowns from the runner-up TCU in that opening game.
01:34They went out right.
01:35They host Nebraska the next week and the number shifts wildly.
01:39I believe Nebraska was supposed to be around a touchdown favor, maybe near double digits
01:43even in that game.
01:44I think Colorado closed two and a half, I want to say.
01:48So you know, year over year, forget it, okay?
01:53This to me is, can Colorado and this offensive ceiling hang now with a Nebraska team that's
02:01supposed to be significantly better?
02:03And conversely, if you're Nebraska, can you win a close football game?
02:08Or is this going to be more of the same?
02:10Is this going to be another, ah, 30-27, what do you want us to do?
02:14Should Orr let them down the field, lost a heartbreaker?
02:17Because that's what Matt Ruhle needs to, in a way, not win this game by 14, I know it's
02:21going to sound crazy.
02:22He needs to win this game by two.
02:23Like, they need to win a close football game here.
02:26No, I agree.
02:27And I think, you know, a lot of pressure on not just Matt Ruhle, but Dylan Raiola in regards
02:31to this matchup.
02:32We talk about the explosiveness of Nebraska, 284 yards through the air last week.
02:37They ran it for over 200 against UTEP as well, averaged over four yards per carry.
02:42And we know about their defensive front, right?
02:44Had seven sacks last year against Shador Sanders.
02:47But again, it's going to come down to turnovers.
02:49And again, which team will dictate the tempo?
02:52I think if you're taking Nebraska, Ben, and we talked about it all week as well, you want
02:55to get this game lower scoring.
02:57You want to utilize the rushing attack, utilize Raiola's arm, work off a play action and keep
03:02that explosive offense on the sidelines.
03:05But I posed this question to the both of you earlier.
03:07What happens if Shador and Travis Hunter get out there in quarter one, 80-yard drive, just
03:12the way they did last week against North Dakota State, even though they were at home?
03:16It's game on now.
03:17Then all of a sudden, Matt Rule and all of a sudden Dylan Raiola get tight.
03:21And then that's where the advantage really shifts to Colorado and Deion Sanders and that
03:26team as a whole.
03:27Nobody is expecting for some reason Colorado to win this matchup.
03:31That's kind of what I said last week.
03:34And you said that you would be stunned if Colorado wins here in the world where that
03:39does happen.
03:40I'm curious what that would do to your perception of Colorado big picture.
03:45Does this feel like a team that all of a sudden then could win eight football games
03:49on the year?
03:50Yeah, absolutely.
03:51So because my perception of Colorado expecting improvement year over year following the season
03:55opener last week against North Dakota State hasn't really changed.
03:59And I think CU with its star power and its star power is always going to shine bright.
04:04They have potentially two top five picks.
04:07It may be depending on who you ask the best players at their respective positions, not
04:11just in the Big 12 or in this matchup, but maybe nationally.
04:15Shador Sanders at the quarterback spot and whatever you want to categorize Travis Hunter
04:20as the best two way player in the sport without a shadow of a doubt.
04:24Shador Sanders last week against NDSU, 445 yards and four touchdowns, three of them going
04:31to Travis Hunter, the wide receiver who played 129 steps also on the defensive side of the
04:37football.
04:38Those guys are going to look to expose Nebraska's secondary that I think is leaps and bounds
04:43ahead of where North Dakota State was last week.
04:47That is where I give Nebraska the edge and in the trenches, North Dakota State had the
04:51advantage last week, and I think Nebraska has the advantage in this matchup in Lincoln.
04:56But Kev, to your point, Matt Rule has been asked and has spoken a ton about what seems
05:01to be the curse of the Cornhuskers.
05:04Three and 18 in one score games the last three seasons.
05:09Some of that was Scott Frost, but even under Matt Rule a year ago, one and five straight
05:14up in games decided by a single score.
05:18This is supposed to be a single score game with the spread now just six and a half in
05:23favor of the Huskers.
05:25Do you think the game will resemble what the lines are telling?
05:28I do.
05:29I think Colorado can hang here.
05:30I think these teams can go back and forth trading shots.
05:33No doubt.
05:34My favorite bet is Dylan Raiola over his prompt 234 plus passing yards is that minus 120 juice.
05:39I think that this team, look, you got to try and go through the box score last week in
05:43their game against UTEP.
05:45He only played a half plus right at half of the drive, but this team was running fast.
05:51And I know the throw rate wasn't monstrous.
05:53It could increase in a game like this.
05:55The CU secondary was bad last week.
05:57And if you look at his efficiency, I think two fifties a floor, I think three hundreds
06:02on the board.
06:03And I think Joe, and you can speak to it because again, you know the game so well and you know
06:06the history of the game.
06:07What a quarterback matchup.
06:09This would be like if Trevor Lawrence was going up against Kyler Murray that freshman
06:12year.
06:13You've got a potential battle of future number one overall pick.
06:16You do.
06:17And that's why the total is interesting as well, because 56 and a half, do we get a scoreless
06:21first quarter or eight minutes in and that number drops under 50, that might be an area
06:26to jump in.
06:27I think when you look at this matchup, I'm not inclined to bet this game early on right
06:31now.
06:32I do lean to Nebraska because to your point, Ben, the physicality offensive defense aligns.
06:37But again, I am concerned about Shadur Sanders from the prop perspective.
06:41I'm not looking Shadur yet.
06:43I'm not looking Travis Hunter.
06:44I looked at Jimmy Horn, seven receptions, a buck 98 and two.
06:48We know Nebraska going to try at least to limit Travis Hunter.
06:51Give me Jimmy Horn all night.
06:56Let's go.
06:57Let's go.
06:58Let's go.