The Colorado football team is in an unfamiliar spot this weekend.

After a massive season-opening win at Georgia Tech, the Buffs host Weber State in Week 2 as 34.5-point favorites. It’s the largest margin Colorado has been favored by in a game during the Coach Prime era and the program’s biggest since 2021 vs. Northern Colorado.

Coach Prime doesn’t believe his Colorado football team will take this matchup for granted.

“They’re not going to let up this week whatsoever,” Deion Sanders said. “You’re going to see a group of young men pick up where they left off and try to punish somebody.”

Here are three keys and a prediction for the Colorado football team’s home opener vs. Weber State.

Get passing game going

It’s no secret that the Buffs’ passing game was a bit disjointed in Week 1.

Quarterback Julian Lewis completed just 52% of his passes for 124 yards and Colorado receivers dropped four passes. Lewis engineered a game-winning drive mostly with his arm but offensive coordinator Brennan Marion knows the passing attack must be sharper moving forward.

“Offensively, I thought we wasted a lot of opportunity to get the game out of hand,” Marion said on the Colorado Football Coaches Show. “We had all the first-game jitters that you protect against happening.”

Week 2 should provide the perfect opportunity for Lewis and his pass catchers to get on track. Weber State is allowing 38 points per game through two weeks and the Wildcats play press coverage on the perimeter with their cornerbacks.

That means Marion will likely have plenty of chances to dial up deep shots in his vertical passing game, something that was attempted a few times last week unsuccessfully. This shouldn’t be a game where Julian Lewis plays deep into the second half (Buffs should have a sizeable lead at halftime), but it’s a game where he should look comfortable and be efficient.

Keep shutout streak alive

Colorado defensive coordinator Chris Marve had a marvelous debut in the black and gold.

The Buffs’ defense absolutely shut down Georgia Tech’s vaunted rushing attack (51 yards) and kept the Yellow Jackets out of the end zone all night. Their only TD came on a kick return (more on that later).

Marve pressured Georgia Tech QB Alberto Mendoza for most of the game (12 pressures) and the Colorado football team’s defense was exceptional in the red zone. Lamont Lester Jr. broke out with all three of the Buffs’ sacks (more than all Colorado football player had all of last season), putting his name on national award watchlists and atop opponents’ gameplans.

Weber State has a high-flying passing attack, even with a freshman QB (Nate Dahle), who took over for the injured starter (Devin Brown) in Week 0. Dahle threw for 282 yards and two TDs last week during a 47-42 loss to Southern Utah. He also added 85 rushing yards.

Noah Kjar is Dahle’s top WR target and he leads the FCS with four receiving TDs. Kjar has 100-plus receiving yards and two TDs in back-to-back games to start the season. Colorado cornerbacks Boo Carter and Cree Thomas will have the responsibility of making sure Kjar’s 100-yard streak ends at two games.

If the Colorado football team didn’t allow Georgia Tech to score a TD, then there’s no real reason that Weber State should find the end zone against the Buffs’ starters. Heading into Week 3 without giving up an offensive TD would be wildly impressive.

Make special teams special

Special teams nearly cost the Colorado football team a Week 1 win.

A 100-yard kick return was Georgia Tech’s only TD of the night and the Buffs had a FG blocked that would’ve tied the game in the fourth quarter. Those issues have to get cleaned up and according to Coach Prime, they’ve already been addressed.

“That’s an easy fix with personnel,” Deion Sanders said. “Some things are schematic. That wasn’t schematic. That was personnel. We fixed it with personnel already. Hopefully you see the results this weekend.”

Keep an eye on who gets the nod for kickoffs and field goals/extra points. Elliot Arnold was listed as the starting placekicker in Week 1 but Daniel Gerlach handled those duties.

Colorado football vs Weber State prediction

This game will test the mentality and emotional maturity of the Colorado football team. Coming off a massive win as underdogs, the Buffs cannot allow their focus to slip against an inferior opponent.

Weber State is playing its third road game in three weeks to start the season and the Wildcats are already banged up at multiple positions (quarterback, receiver, cornerback). Meanwhile, Colorado football fans will be juiced up for the home opener and an opportunity to see their Buffs dominate.

Brennan Marion coached against Weber State last season at Sac State and totaled 397 rushing yards with three 100-yard rushers in a 55-27 win. It could get even uglier this time around with exponentially more talent at his disposal.

Colorado wins 48-10.

Follow Colorado Buffaloes beat reporter Scott Procter on X.