Live updates for Colorado vs. North Dakota State: What to Know and How to Watch
*BOULDER, Colo.* — After an offseason full of drama and major roster changes, Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes are set to begin their second season under Coach Prime. Their first challenge? A tough matchup against North Dakota State.
The Bison, dominant at the FCS level, have won nine championships in 11 years (2011-2021) and boast a strong running game, ranking fourth nationally last year with 237.5 rushing yards per game. Colorado's revamped defense, including transfers like defensive end BJ Green (Arizona State) and Chidozie Nwankwo (Houston), will face a serious test. They'll be up against North Dakota State’s senior quarterback Cam Miller, a veteran with 38 straight starts and the second-highest completion rate in the FCS last year (72%).
Colorado, who went 4-8 in Sanders’ debut season, struggled mightily in their rushing attack, finishing last in the nation in yards per game. They’ll need to improve in that area to take some pressure off star quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son, in Thursday's opener.
### Game Details
- **Date**: Thursday, Aug. 29
- **Time**: 8 p.m. ET
- **How to Watch**: The game will air on ESPN and be available for streaming on ESPN+ and Fubo.
### Ticket Availability
While Colorado sold out every home game last season, Thursday's opener isn’t fully sold out yet. As of Thursday afternoon, around 2,300 tickets remain available. Folsom Field has a capacity of 50,183, and with classes recently starting on campus, it’s still expected to be nearly full. Colorado had announced a sellout of season tickets for the second consecutive year in May, but single-game tickets are still available for select games.
### Will Deion Sanders’ Roster Overhaul Pay Off?
Coach Sanders once again revamped Colorado's roster, bringing in 50 new scholarship players, 39 of whom are transfers. This follows last year's overhaul, where he brought in 68 new scholarship players. The big question is whether Sanders' aggressive roster management will lead to better results this year after finishing 4-8 in his first season.
### Deion Sanders vs. Paul Finebaum
Ahead of the season opener, Coach Sanders responded to ESPN commentator Paul Finebaum’s recent comments calling Colorado "irrelevant in the big picture of college football." Sanders addressed the critique on the podcast *Outta Pocket with RGIII*, hosted by Robert Griffin III’s wife, Grete Griffin, fueling more attention on the Buffaloes as the season kicks off.
### Thursday Night’s College Football Games (All Times ET)
- Howard at Rutgers, 6 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
- Western Carolina at NC State, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
- North Dakota State at Colorado, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
- Several others on ESPN+ and other networks.
### College Football Season Predictions
As college football enters a period of transformation with an expanded playoff and conference realignments, the predictions for the season are rolling in. USA TODAY experts weigh in:
- **Scooby Axson**: Ohio State
- **Jordan Mendoza**: Oregon
- **Paul Myerberg**: Georgia
- **Erick Smith**: Georgia
- **Eddie Timanus**: Ohio State
- **Dan Wolken**: Ohio State
### 2024 College Football TV Schedule
The season kicks off with Week 0 games on Aug. 24 and continues through conference championships on Dec. 7. The new 12-team College Football Playoff begins in mid-December, culminating in the national championship game on Jan. 20, 2025, in Atlanta. Game times for most Saturday matchups are typically announced two weeks in advance.
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