CU Buffs vs. Baylor football: How to watch, storylines, predictions
Baylor (2-1) at Colorado (2-1)
When/where:
TV/Radio: KDVR/850 AM
BetMGM Line : CU -1.5, 52 over/under
Weather : Possible Thunderstorms and 54% chance of rain, 57 degrees at kickoff
Three storylines
Welcome back: Amid Saturday's homecoming festivities, the Buffs will be marking a return to Big 12 competition for the first time since 2010 — though it's not clear if that's a homecoming or more of a marriage of convenience after fleeing an imploding Pac-12. Baylor could be described as a longtime bottom-feeder on the rise when CU left the Big 12. The last time these two met, Robert Griffin III led the Bears to a 31-25 win in Boulder en route to a 7-6 record. Baylor won a Big 12 title as recently as 2021. But after a disappointing 3-9 finish last season, the Bears could be slipping back into their traditional role as conference punching bags with head coach Dave Aranda on the hot seat.
Quarterbacks: It's not clear who will start at quarterback for Baylor. Dequan Finn, a transfer from Toledo, started the first two games for the Bears but missed last week's 31-3 win over Air Force. Backup Sawyer Robertson put up 248 yards passing and scored a rushing TD against the Falcons, and Finn's status is day-to-day. Coach Deion Sanders said earlier this week that CU was preparing for both quarterbacks.
Stop me if you've heard this: Protecting Shedeur Sanders is crucial. After Nebraska sacked the Buffs QB five times in Week 2, Sanders seemingly called out his offensive line in the postgame presser, asking "How many times did (Nebraska quarterback Dillon) Raiola get touched?" CU's O-line responded with its best performance of the season in a 28-9 win over Colorado State. The line allowed just one sack in Fort Collins, and Shedeur brought his linemen to the postgame presser, as if to highlight a job well done. Baylor will test CU's reconfigured and newly galvanized O-line: The Bears have allowed just 29 points through the first three games, and only one team (Utah) has managed to score a touchdown against Baylor. Aranda's team leads the nation in passing defense.
Kyle Newman, sportswriter: Baylor 27, CU 24
CU passed its in-state rivalry test with flying colors. But we all know how things went in the Pac-12 last year, when the wheels came off. Suffice to say I'm just not entirely sold on the Buffs yet. They squeaked by an FCS team and beat a CSU team that's likely worse than projected. This Big 12 opener is key to seeing how the Buffs will fare in their new (old) conference. If they can't beat the Bears, the upper-middle and top-tier teams in the league will be tough sledding. Will the star power of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter be enough at Folsom Field? I don't think so, even with an O-line that showed improvement last week.
Sean Keeler, sports columnist: CU 24, Baylor 21
Tarleton State's averaging 17.7 pass attempts per game. Air Force's averaging 14 per tilt — basically as many times as Shedeur Sanders airs it out in a quarter. The only time Dave Aranda's Bears defense faced an actual passing game this season, they were down 23-3 at the half to Utah. Under-the-radar MVP for the first month of Coach Prime Year 2: defensive coordinator Robert Livingston, whose unit after three games is allowing fewer points per drive vs. FBS foes (1.50) so far than Penn State (1.86), Michigan (1.69) and Arizona State (1.70).
Matt Schubert, sports editor: CU 27, Baylor 20
Is it concerning that CU was actively trying to run up the score against CSU and still only scored 28 points? Perhaps slightly. The good news for the Buffs? They did establish a run game in their win over the Rams — even if they didn't take advantage of it as much as they should've. The numbers say Baylor has a salty defense. But as my colleague, Mr. Keeler, so astutely pointed out, most of the Bears' production came against offenses that aren't predisposed to the forward pass. The Buffs, most assuredly, are. Maybe a bit too much.
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