Baylor (2-1) at Colorado (2-1)

When/Where: 6 p.m. Saturday, Folsom Field

Television/Radio: KDVR/850 AM

BetMGM Line: CU -1.5, 52 over/under

Weather: Possible thunderstorms and 54% chance of rain, 57 degrees at kick-off

Three storylines

Welcome back: As part of Saturday’s homecoming festivities, the Buffs will celebrate their return to the Big 12 league for the first time since 2010 — though it’s not clear if it’s a homecoming or more of a marriage of convenience after escaping an imploding Pac-12. Baylor could be described as a longtime bottom-place team that was 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 for a 7-6 record. Baylor didn’t win a Big 12 title until 2021. But after a disappointing 3-9 finish last season, the Bears could fall back into their traditional role as the conference’s punching bags with head coach Dave Aranda in 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 managed 248 yards passing and a rushing TD against the Falcons, and Finn’s status varies from day to day. Coach Deion Sanders said earlier this week that CU is preparing for both quarterbacks.

Stop me if you heard this: Protecting Shedeur Sanders is critical. After Nebraska sacked the Buffs quarterback five times in Week 2, Sanders seemingly challenged his offensive line in the postgame press conference, 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 press conference as if to highlight a job well done. Baylor will put CU’s reassembled and re-galvanized O-line to the test: The Bears have allowed just 29 points in their first three games, and only one team (Utah) has managed to score a touchdown against Baylor. Aranda’s team leads the nation in pass defense.

Predictions

Kyle Newman, sports journalist: Baylor 27, CU 24

CU passed its in-state rivalry test with flying colors. But we all know how it went in the Pac-12 last year when it was no longer going anywhere. Suffice it to say, I’m not entirely sold on the Buffs yet. They narrowly edged out an FCS team and beat a CSU team that’s probably worse than expected. This Big 12 opener is critical to how the Buffs will fare in their new (old) conference. If they can’t beat the Bears, the league’s upper mid- and top-tier teams will be tough to beat. 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 averages 17.7 pass attempts per game. Air Force averages 14 per game — basically as many times as Shedeur Sanders attempts a pass in a quarter. The only time Dave Aranda’s Bears defense faced a true passing game this season, they trailed 23-3 at halftime against Utah. The underrated MVP of the first month of Coach Prime’s second year: defensive coordinator Robert Livingston, whose unit through three games so far is allowing fewer points per drive against FBS opponents (1.50) than Penn State (1.86), Michigan (1.69) and Arizona State (1.70).