The Nebraska Cornhuskers welcome back longtime Big 12 opponent Colorado and coach Deion Sanders. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CDT with coverage televised on NBC.

The HuskerMax and Nebraska Cornhuskers on SI crew makes their predictions for Saturday night. The average prediction is 34-23 Nebraska.

The closest prediction for Nebraska vs. UTEP last week was ThotDoc ​​​​with a prediction of 38-10, which was only five points short of the final score of 40-7.

*Shows what the closest prediction was from the previous week and how many ‘wins’ have been achieved this season.

The Why

Kaleb Henry: Nebraska’s defense is bigger and faster than North Dakota State’s, which should keep Colorado in check. Shedeur Sanders will get his chance, especially with weapons like Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr., but the lack of a run game will hurt the visitors. On the other side of the ball, the Huskers closed it out after 2 1/2 quarters and still scored 40 points last week. The Buffaloes have more speed than UTEP and, again, Hunter, but a physical rushing attack from the Big Red should make the difference.

Eric Hess: I expect it to be a back and forth match for 50 minutes, with the Blackshirts making more saves late in the game than Colorado.

Austin Jacobson: Colorado probably has the three best players on the field (Sanders, Hunter, Horn), but Nebraska has the depth to wear the Buffs down in the fourth quarter. If it’s a one-score game in Lincoln in the final two minutes, I’m going to sweat. Luckily for the Huskers, they’re built to stay away long enough to outscore Colorado.

Geoff Exstrom: Colorado has about as much talent on offense as anyone in the country. This won’t be like facing a CU team that was depleted by injuries in the second half of 2023. The Buffs are healthy and dangerous with the combination of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. However, this game will come down to the trenches and Nebraska has built the Pipeline in both depth and experience. Sanders and Hunter will keep this game close until the end, but the CU line will show up too often to pull out the win.

ThotDoc: I hope our ground game shortens the game, but fear Sanders’ elusiveness and his scrambling to find an open receiver. That could give Colorado about a score per quarter. Trust our defense to prevent a full-fledged shootout.

High school baseball coach: I think it will be exciting early on because Colorado will make some key plays for touchdowns, but Nebraska will wear them down and take over as the game progresses.

Ted Stryker: Because Nebraska is finally a physical football team again. I can imagine scenarios where the Huskers win by 20, but those scenarios are about plus-two turnovers.

Chris Fort: Nebraska is a better team from top to bottom and deserves it after years of terrible treatment by the CU fan base. But the arc of college football history bends toward injustice. This is the kind of must-win game the Huskers haven’t been able to win in a decade. I think they’ll lose on a missed field goal as time runs out. I’ve never been more happy to be wrong.

MORE: ESPN’s College GameDay Crew Prefers Nebraska Football Over Colorado

MORE: Big Ten Football Week 2 Capsules

MORE: McMasters Keys to the Game: Nebraska Football vs. Colorado

MORE: Jimmy Horn Jr. is Colorado’s secret superstar

MORE: Nick Saban: Nebraska Football’s Dylan Raiola ‘Didn’t Play Like a Freshman’

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