"I don't trust their defense"- Pete Thamel believes defensive woes could spell trouble for Deion Sanders and Colorado vs. CSU 

Deion Sanders is off to a busy start this season while his team struggles to find its identity. After being hammered 28-10 by Nebraska in Week 2, the Buffs face their longstanding rival Colorado State on Saturday.

During an episode of ESPN's College GameDay podcast, analysts Rece Davis and Pete Thamel picked coach Jay Norvell's Colorado State Rams to defeat Colorado during the teams' Week 3 clash (35:20).

“That game last season was bonkers. Straight up bonkers. Do we recall the 27 total penalties. … There were ejections. Tory Horton threw a touchdown pass. I’m going to take Colorado State to win outright, in part because without Shilo Sanders, God bless Travis Hunter, he’s the best player in the country. I don’t trust their pass defense and they can’t run the ball.

“So I just think there are too many factors here, and I think Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi’s going to come swaggering into this game. Tory Horton, he’s been dinged up. They’re hopeful he plays, and that’s something I’m sure we’ll be updating on GameDay Saturday morning. But I think the Rams meet the moment with Colorado reeling.”

Deion Sanders gets challenged by Rams players

Last year, the game between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Colorado State Rams was dominated by barbs between the coaches, Deion Sanders and Jay Norvell.

This season, the players have entered the fray, with Rams quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi speaking to the media about the Buffs' attitude and the hype surrounding Deion Sanders.

“They came out with that attitude and thought it was gonna be a cakewalk. They saw the reports, 27 and a half points, or whatever it was, and they got a rude, rude awakening real quick. And I think it goes to show that the hype, the media train, all that — it only gets you so far at the end of the day.

“At the end of the day, you have to line up 11 guys against our 11 guys, and we’ll find out who wants it more. We’ll see how far Instagram followers get them.”

Meanwhile, CSU wideout Tory Horton said his Rams seek revenge this weekend against the Buffs. Following Colorado's dissapointing start, they should get their wish.

To stack the deck further against Colorado, Coach Prime's men enter the Rocky Mountain showdown without the services of the team's safety, Shilo Sanders who sustained a broken forearm against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.