Colorado vs. North Dakota State: Game Time and TV announced

Coach Prime and the Buffs season opener will be nationally televised

Apr 27, 2024; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) warms up during a / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado Football's 2024 season opener against North Dakota State will be showcased as part of college football's kickoff weekend. The game between the Buffs and Bison will air on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET, the network announced Tuesday. This comes a day after reports that Colorado will play Nebraska on NBC in week 2.

The Buffaloes and Bison will kick off the second season under Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders with CU’s first two games airing on network television or the flagship ESPN channel for the second straight season and just the seventh time in history, according to CU Athletics.

Prime's Buffs was the nation's most-watched team last year. Nine games were on a national lineup in 2023, which was the most in program history. They face NDST for the first time in history. The FCS powerhouse has 17 National Championships with 11 of those coming in the past three decades. Coach Tim Polasek, who was the offensive coordinator and QB coach at Wyoming the previous three seasons and has 10 years of prior experience on the NDSU staff.

The start time and television for CU’s other non-conference game at Colorado State on Sept. 14 is expected in late May. It will be the first time the Rocky Mountain Showdown moves back to campus in Fort Collins since 1996.