College football Week 3: Colorado needs a win to quell negative vibe in wake of loss to Huskers

Updated Sep. 11, 2024 9:11 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Did Shedeur Sanders throw his offensive line under the figurative bus in his comments after Colorado got clobbered at Nebraska?

Was it poor form for Deion Sanders to post pictures of himself on social media the next day?

And did “Coach Prime” really instruct the CU band to hold off playing the fight song after quarterback son Shedeur scores a touchdown so the song Shedeur recorded, “Perfect Timing,” can be played over the Folsom Field loudspeakers? The university issued a statement to say that wasn't true; Sanders called the notion “idiotic.”

With the Buffs coming off their ninth loss in 11 games, and the Sanders brand the identity of the program, those were the subjects debated this week by their frustrated fans and the haters.

The bottom line is that CU (1-1) looks pretty much the same as last season's four-win team and fans' patience could be wearing thin. Now comes the Rocky Mountain Showdown against Colorado State (1-1), a rivalry game with a nasty history that will be played in Fort Collins on Saturday for the first time since 1996.

CSU led last year's game in Boulder 28-17 with eight minutes left in regulation and ended up losing 43-35 in overtime. Things got ugly when Rams safety Henry Blackburn, who is still on the team, received death threats for a late hit that sent Travis Hunter to the hospital with a lacerated liver. Blackburn and Hunter went bowling together a couple weeks later to show there were no hard feelings.

Last week's game at Nebraska was billed as a referendum on the jobs second-year coaches Deion Sanders and Matt Rhule are doing, and the way they are going about them. Advantage Rhule. The 28-10 loss raises the stakes for the Buffs' short trip to Fort Collins. CU is a 7 1/2-point favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

There are three other important in-state rivalry games.

No. 9 Oregon (2-0) visits Oregon State (2-0) and Washington (2-0) visits Washington State (2-0) for their first meetings since the disintegration of the Pac-12. If it seems early for the Apple Cup and the formerly named Civil War, you're right, and both Oregon State and Washington State would love nothing better than grabbing bragging rights this particular season.

The Ducks are coming off close calls against Idaho and Boise State and have lost the last two times they visited Corvallis. The Huskies have won their first two games under new coach Jedd Fisch, but the emergence of Cougars quarterback John Mateer makes the trip to Pullman tricky.

No. 12 Utah (2-0) has allowed a combined 12 points in two games heading into its game at Utah State (1-1), which lost 48-0 at No. 11 Southern California last week and will be playing back-to-back Top 25 opponents for the first time since 2013.

Best game

No. 20 Arizona (2-0) at No. 14 Kansas State (2-0), Friday, 8 p.m. ET (Fox)

Yes, Arizona is in the Big 12 now, but this meeting and next year's in Tucson will be nonconference games. The home-and-home series was put on the schedule eight years ago, and neither school could find replacement nonconference games after Arizona was invited to join the Big 12 in August 2023.

This is the first big test for first-year Arizona coach Brent Brennan. QB Noah Fifita and star WR Tetairoa McMillan will be a handful for a K-State pass defense that allowed 342 yards against Tulane last week.

Heisman watch

Alabama QB Jalen Milroe, who led his team to four straight fourth-quarter touchdowns to break open a close game with South Florida, can become a serious contender with a strong performance at Wisconsin.

Milroe, sixth in 2023 Heisman Trophy voting, has accounted for nine touchdowns for the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide. His four rushing TDs are most by any FBS quarterback, and his five through the air rank fourth.

Numbers to know

9 — Teams averaging at least 50 points per game through Week 2, including four from the SEC.

47 — Oklahoma's consecutive wins against unranked nonconference opponents entering its home game against Tulane.

106 — Previous meetings between Pittsburgh and West Virginia, with the Panthers leading the Backyard Brawl rivalry 62-41-3.

1968 — The last time Indiana, which visits UCLA, played in the Rose Bowl stadium.

1992 — The last time Florida (1-1), which hosts Texas A&M, lost two of three games to open a season.

Under the radar

The fact Florida State coach Mike Norvell is facing Memphis, the school he left in 2020, makes for an interesting matchup. The fact the Seminoles are in desperate need of a win adds to the intrigue.

The Tigers head to FSU as 6 1/2-point underdogs and 2-2 in their last four games against power-conference opponents.

Memphis fourth-year starting quarterback Seth Henigan won't be intimidated at Doak Walker Stadium. The question is whether FSU's struggling DJ Uiagalelei will feel comfortable in front of the antsy home fans.

Hot seat

It was only three years ago Baylor won the Big 12 championship and was in the top 10 after going 12-2 under Dave Aranda. The next two years saw the Bears collapse the second half of the season, and they go into Saturday's home game against Air Force with losses in 10 of their last 14 games.

Air Force traditionally causes problems because of its rarely seen triple-option offense. The good news for Aranda is that this does not appear to be a vintage Falcons ground game. Air Force had only two plays from scrimmage go for more than 8 yards in a loss to San Jose State.

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