![Colorado and Nebraska will square off one final time in 2019. [Image via Pac-12 Networks/YouTube]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2019/8/4/660x290/b_502x220x82/colorado-and-nebraska-will-square-off-one-final-time-in-2019-image-via-pac-12-networksyoutube_2305351.jpg "Colorado and Nebraska will square off one final time in 2019. [Image via Pac-12 Networks/YouTube]")
The Nebraska football vs Colorado Buffaloes games tends to be ones that are worth watching, even if you don't have a rooting interest in either team. That's why the two programs forged a rivalry of sorts. Over the years, the two played late in the Big 8's lifespan and for most of the time, they were in the Big 12. The first time in many years, the Huskers and Buffaloes square off in the second half of a home-and-home series this season.
Last year, Colorado managed to come into Lincoln and topple the Huskers. it was a big win for a team that struggled to record many victories.
There is at least one CU beat writer who believes this year, the Cornhuskers' game could be the biggest on the entire CU schedule.
Not a rivalry?
Whether or not a team is a rival of the Nebraska football team has been a hot topic for the last few weeks. it appears that as the Huskers are expected to be much improved in 2019, schools around the country are wanting to be able to say they managed to beat them.
That has raised the visibility of fans claiming that Iowa is definitely a rival. Colorado fans and writers feel the same way. Sean Keeler of the Denver Post certainly believes the two squads formed a rivalry, even if former Huskers' coach Tom Osborne specifically told him he felt it was more contrived than anything.
That "rivalry" is big enough for Keeler that he thinks NU is the biggest game on Colorado's schedule. This despite the fact that the two teams don't play in the same conference. Despite the fact that teams like Oregon, Washington, USC, and Stanford are on their schedule. Keeler thinks the Nebraska football game is the biggest of the season.
Even if the Cornhuskers don't consider Colorado a rival anymore (and they shouldn't, you play rivals more than twice a decade) it's clear CU does.
Recruiting plays a part
To be fair, Keeler lays out that one of the reasons the NU-CU game is so big is because of how successful the Huskers have been recruiting in the Mile High state lately.
Some of the best players in Colorado high schools now call Lincoln home. Buffs' coach Mel Tucker understands and has lamented this fact somewhat, recently.
Beating the Cornhuskers for a second straight year isn't just about bragging rights when it comes to this rivalry. it's about showing in-state players that they are "better" than the school to the Northeast they're all looking at.
It also appears that one of the reasons the Huskers are such a big game is because of the tough teams from the Pac 12 on the slate. He says Colorado is going to need to get its wins wherever it can and a non-conference win over the Nebraska football team is going to look good on the resume. That would also seem to hint that Buffaloes fans still feel a little too comfortable going up against the Huskers these days.
