Can't-miss clashes: College football Week 2's premier matchups

Last Matchup: Colorado won 36-14(2023) All-Time Series: Nebraska leads 49-21-2 Location: Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska

The classic Big 8 rivals meet up for the second year in a row. Nebraska will play in a second straight home game after beating UTEP 40-7 last week. This game is Colorado's first road test of the season and they are coming off a 31-26 victory over the FBS killer North Dakota State Bison.

In their game against North Dakota State, the Buffalo offense was led by Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. Sanders had an insane stat line, throwing for 445 yards and four touchdowns. He completed 76 percent of his throws. He was impressive despite continuing to face constant pass rush due to offensive line issues.

Hunter caught three of Sanders' touchdown throws and racked up 132 receiving yards.

Jimmy Horn Jr. also caught seven passes for nearly 200 yards and a touchdown catch. As a whole, the unit gained 504 total yards but the defense still looked like it did last year.

Colorado's defense didn't get many stops when needed and NDSU nearly equaled the Buffaloes' yardage total. NDSU was able to get yardage on both the pass and run. They did sack Cam Miller twice but didn't generate any turnovers.

The unit did get better as most of that damage was done in the first half. However, they still haven't proved that they are capable of playing consistently stingy. As for Nebraska, true freshman Dylan Raiola showcased his talents on the big stage.

In his first collegiate start, he completed 19 of 27 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns. Isaiah Neyor led the way for receiving with six catches for 121 yards and a score.

The Cornhuskers were also able to establish the run, gaining 223 of their 507 total yards on the ground. As for their defense, Nebraska allowed just 205 yards and held UTEP's ground game to only 56 yards. The defensive backs led the way as Malcolm Hartzog Jr and Rahmir Stewart each got an interception and Hartzog led the team in tackles.

As far as the outcome is concerned, it'll be decided based on what happens when Colorado has the ball. The skill position players are talented, skilled, and athletic enough to take over and make big plays. They can win games by themselves if they have the opportunities like they did last week. However, if Shedeur Sanders isn't given time to throw the ball though, the Buffaloes will be in trouble.

Can the Colorado offensive line produce and protect Sanders? Will they be able to hold up against Nebraska's defensive front? The defensive line of the Cornhuskers has seniors Nash Hutmacher and Ty Robinson, who can get after the opposing passer. They have a chance to get in the backfield, especially if Colorado's front five struggled last week.

However, let's just say that the Buffaloes' offensive line does a decent job in pass protection. Then the question is can the Nebraska secondary neutralize the incredible duo of Sanders and Hunter? Nebraska, like many other teams, doesn't have guys that can go one-on-one with Hunter on the outside. The unit will have to work as a team in order to stop them from taking over.