A pair of former Big 12 teams that have both found new homes will be reacquainted this weekend when the Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Ten host the Pac-12’s Colorado Buffaloes. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 EST on Saturday, September 8, at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. The game is being nationally televised on ABC.
The Cornhuskers are listed as 4.5-point favorites at home against Colorado. Be sure to check out the rest of this week’s college football odds and betting lines.
Nebraska had their season opener last week against Akron canceled due to weather, so this will be their first game of the 2018 season. The delay means the Scott Frost era will begin against an old rival rather than a mid-major team. The Nebraska fan base is elated to have Frost back in Lincoln, especially after he led Central Florida to an undefeated record last year.
However, the fan base may need to pump the brakes just a little bit. Frost may not be able to perform miracles overnight, especially with true freshman Adrian Martinez getting the start at quarterback.
Colorado, meanwhile, has already played a rivalry game this season. The Buffaloes took care of business against Colorado State last week, beating their in-state rival 45-13. The Buffs were close to unstoppable offensively for three quarters, as quarterback Steven Montez threw four touchdown passes and ran for a fifth. However, this will be a true road game for Colorado, which should present a much greater challenge for the Buffaloes.
These two former Big 12 rivals haven’t met since 2010. The Cornhuskers have a substantial lead in the all-time series. They also won the last three meetings while both teams were in the Big 12. However, all of that history can be thrown out the window. These are two teams from two different leagues that are in two very different places at this moment in time.
I’m honestly a little surprised that Nebraska is favored in this game. Obviously, being at home helps, as does the hype around Frost’s return. But both teams began 2018 with a lot to prove, and if nothing else, the Buffaloes looked good in their opener. I probably would have been comfortable picking Colorado if they were favored by this many points, so it’s easy for me to lean toward the Buffaloes as the underdog.
It’s important to take Colorado’s success on offense last week with a grain of salt. Colorado State has played two games this season and their defense looked atrocious in both outings. The Buffs aren’t going to be the last team to score 40-plus points and put up over 500 yards of offense against Colorado State.
That being said, the efficiency with which Colorado scored 45 points was impressive regardless of the opponent. Montez completed 22 of his 25 passes for 338 yards. Even with an interception mixed in, that’s exceptional accuracy. Colorado’s largely unproven group of receivers also played well, particularly Laviska Shenault, who had over 200 yards receiving on 11 catches. Virginia Tech grad transfer Travon McMillian also ran like a back who should be starting for a power conference team, so this Colorado offense definitely has some talent.
We also can’t forget that Nebraska was dreadful defensively last season. The Cornhuskers gave up over 50 points in each of their final three games in 2017. Even with most of their starters returning, that group has a lot to prove, so I can see them struggling against some of Colorado’s playmakers. If Frost were a defensive guru, I might think differently, but his specialty isn’t on that side of the ball.
If the Cornhuskers are going to win this game and cover, Frost will have to work his magic with the Nebraska offense. I’d be surprised if Frost doesn’t eventually get the Nebraska offense operating much like the Central Florida offense did a year ago. But there are definitely some concerns in the short-term.
The Cornhuskers weren’t strong on the offensive line last season, nor did they run the ball effectively, gaining just 3.5 yards per carry on the season. While they have some playmakers at wide receiver, they will also be relying on a true freshman at quarterback.
Nebraska could also be hurt by last week’s cancelation. They didn’t get a chance to play a lower-level team in order to work out some of the kinks in their offense and freshmen mistakes from their quarterback before playing a defense with a little more talent. I’m not going to claim that Colorado has anything close to an elite defense. But the Buffs did limit Colorado State to 13 points and less than 300 yards last week. CSU has some real talent on offense so I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Colorado’s defensive performance last week.
All things considered, I have a hard time believing that Nebraska’s offense will be sharp and consistent in Frost’s first game, especially with a true freshman, albeit a talented one, running the show. Colorado, meanwhile, will score points against a Nebraska defense that has a lot to prove. I like Colorado to win this game on the road, so I certainly don’t trust Nebraska to cover the spread.