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Why is Colorado vs. Nebraska on NBC? How can you watch Deion Sanders’ team?

Vaseline September 7, 2024

Colorado coach Deion Sanders called the game with Matt Rhule and Nebraska a year ago “personal,” breathing new life into an old Big 8 rivalry. So when coach Prime and Colorado football meet the Cornhuskers again on Saturday in Lincoln, Nebraska, their fans across the country will be watching this time on a largely unknown network.

The Buffaloes are expected to appear on NBC for their Week 2 game, and the broadcast will highlight an unusual quirk that has resulted from conference realignment and the Big Ten’s media rights deals that have gone into effect in recent years. This will be just the second time that Colorado has played a regular-season game on NBC, and it’s the channel’s first game since the 1995 Fiesta Bowl.

Colorado, which left the Big 12 for the Pac 12 before the 2011 season and returned to the Big 12 this season, went 4-8 in Sanders’ first season and won its 2024 season opener against North Dakota State last week. Nebraska finished 5-7 in 2023 under Rhule and opened this season with a 41-7 win over UTEP.

So why will Sanders and Colorado command rare air(waves) on Saturday against one of their old Big 12 opponents? Here’s what you need to know about how the media rights deals work for the Big Ten and Big 12, how to watch Colorado-Nebraska, and who’s favored to win in Week 2:

COLUMN: The Prime Show is once again all bling but no bangs, as Colorado barely beats North Dakota St.

Why is Colorado vs. Nebraska on NBC?

The Big Ten became the first conference to sell its media rights to three broadcast networks when it signed seven-year deals with FOX, CBS and NBC in 2022, totaling more than $7 billion in revenue. The contracts went into effect last season.

Fox will air 24-32 football games per season under the agreement, while NBC will air 14-16 games on its linear network and eight games per year on Peacock. Beginning this year, CBS will air 14-15 Big Ten games per season now that its longtime partnership with the SEC is over. At least 55 conference football games will air on broadcast networks throughout the fall, with the goal of having a nationally televised Big Ten game every day.

That means FOX, which remains the league’s primary rights holder, can air a Big Ten game before the Big Noon Kickoff. CBS will also air an afternoon game. NBC, meanwhile, will get one primetime Big Ten game each week.

As part of the Big Ten’s media rights deals, the three networks coordinated a selection order that has not been made public. FOX had the first three picks for games this season, as the Big Ten’s primary rights holder, according to the Seattle Times and The Athletic, picking Michigan-Ohio State on Nov. 30 and Michigan-Texas on Saturday.

It would make sense that NBC would be the second choice for Big Ten games this week, as Colorado-Nebraska was one of three games between Sanders and Colorado that were among the top 15 highest-rated regular-season broadcasts of the 2023 college football season. Because Nebraska hosts Colorado, it will air as part of the Big Ten’s media rights package. Last year’s game was on FOX. The Big 12 has a seven-year media rights deal with FOX and ESPN worth nearly $2.3 billion to air its home games.

CBS will air the rivalry between No. 21 Iowa and Iowa State on Saturday afternoon.

How to Watch and Stream Colorado Buffaloes vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Date: Saturday September 7th
Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
Time: 7:30 PM ET
TV: NBC
Streaming: Peacock, Fubo

Saturday’s game between Colorado and Nebraska will be broadcast nationally on NBC and can be streamed on Peacock or via Fubo, which you can subscribe to with a free trial.

Watch Week 2 College Football Games on Fubo

College Football 2024: Colorado vs. Nebraska Odds, Lines

According to BetMGM’s college football odds, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are favored to defeat the Colorado Buffaloes.

Chances as of Thursday afternoon.

Distribution: Nebraska (-7.5)
Money lines: Nebraska (-275); Colorado (+225)
Over/under: 56.5

Looking to bet? Check out the best college football betting apps in 2024, featuring the best NCAA football betting promotions and bonuses in 2024.

Colorado Football Schedule 2024

August 29: North Dakota State (W, 31-26)
September 7: in Nebraska
September 14: at Colorado State
September 21: Baylor
September 28: at UCF
Oct 5: DAY
Oct 12: Kansas State*
Oct 19: in Arizona*
October 26: Cincinnati
November 2: DAY
November 9: at Texas Tech*
November 16: Utah*
Nov 23: in Kansas*
November 29: Oklahoma State*
December 7: Big 12 Championship Game

*- Big 12 Match

Nebraska Football Schedule 2024

August 31: UTEP (W, 41-7)
September 7: Colorado
September 14: Northern Iowa
September 20: Illinois*
September 28: at Purdue*
October 5: Rutgers
Oct 12: DAY
Oct 19: in Indiana*
Oct 26: at Ohio State*
November 2: UCLA*
Nov 9: DAY
Nov 16: at USC*
November 23: Wisconsin*
November 29: in Iowa*
December 7: Big Ten Championship Game

*- Big Ten Competition

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