Three ways No. 19 Colorado can upset No. 10 Oregon

The 19th-ranked Colorado Buffaloes travel up to the Pacific Northwest to take on the No. 10 Oregon Ducks. A Pac-12 opener with both teams putting their undefeated record on the line. Last week’s game against in-state rival Colorado State was the most difficult contest the Buffs have faced thus far. A trip to Eugene, Oregon makes this week even more challenging as a true road test. A late afternoon Saturday affair at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Here are three ways the Buffs can beat the Ducks to stay perfect.

KEEP HEISMAN CANDIDATE BO NIX IN CHECK

Bo Nix will be the best quarterback that CU has seen this season. The one-time Auburn transfer helped lead the Ducks to a 3-0 record to begin the season. He's a mirror image of Shedeur Sanders with Nix having a slightly stronger arm.

Like Sanders, Nix has very good pocket presence and can extend plays when he needs to. Add in the ability to manipulate the defense with his eyes. Both QBs don't make many mistakes and are on the Heisman shortlist. Nix has thrown for 893 yards with 8 touchdowns and has yet to throw a pick.

Colorado goes into this game without Travis Hunter, who suffered a lacerated liver last week. Nix will be looking to exploit the Buffs secondary without the five-star talent. Kyndrich Breedlove and Carter Stoutmire at the next ones up. We have yet to see top recruit Cormani Mclain, but Coach Prime confirmed we won’t be seeing him this week either.

Trevor Woods and Shilo Sanders will need to be ready for balls thrown over the top as Nix is not afraid to air it out. The Ducks main target is Troy Franklin, who has 17 receptions for 292 and 3 touchdowns Oregon also added in three transfers-- Traeshon Holden, Tez Johnson and Gary Bryant Jr.-- who've already made an immediate impact. The newcomers have already combined for 7 TDs on the season and will look to cause headaches for CU. It's on the Buffs to make improvements, especially the overexposed crossing routes against CSU. Nix will be looking for it early.

STOP THE RUN

Colorado is three games into the season and has shown they have trouble stopping the run. It's also the Ducks biggest strength on offense. Oregon is tied for third in the nation with 11 rushing TDs and average 6.83 yards per carry (2nd, FBS). They're currently putting up 217 rushing yards on the ground per game (17th, FBS). Bucky Irving is solid out of UO's backfield. He has rushed for 216 yards and has two touchdowns this season. The Ducks leading rusher and his partner in crime, Noah Whittington, have combined for nearly 2,000 yards rushing. Jordan James has also added in 155 yards with five Touchdowns on the ground to begin the season.

The defensive line and linebackers will be key once again this week. They will have to be sure to clog the gaps and not allow anything to get outside the tackle. These ducks out of the backfield sure have wings and can fly when in open space. Could be another big day for Marvin Ham, LeVonta Bentley, and Juwan Mitchell. Add that to Shane Cokes will see double teams in the middle. Let’s see if he can push the line back to allow those linebackers to get to the ball carrier.

WIN THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE

CU had four sacks against CSU and will need that momentum to carry over against Oregon, who has four new starters on the offensive line this season. With that being said, the Ducks have allowed just one sack on the year. CU needs to make things uncomfortable for Nix and force mistakes.

The Buffs know the Ducks QB has plenty of experience and has seen just about every defense thrown at him. Charles Kelly has the tough task of drawing up something that Nix has yet to see. Let’s see what kind of creative blitzes Kelly can come up with to create pressure and opportunities to ruffle the feathers of Nix in the pocket.

Jordan Domineck has sacks in back-to-back games. He'll try to make it three in a row. On the opposite side, CU needs to be better about protecting Sanders. They have allowed 16 sacks three games into the season with a fairly new unit. Oregon might be strongest on the defensive line. Brandon Dorlus is one of the top edge rushers in the nation and a player that could be a nightmare for CU’s offensive line.

Oregon is not afraid to move Dorlus up and down the line trying to find the perfect mismatch, think Micah Parsons of the Cowboys and Myles Garrett of the Browns. While Dorlus has yet to record a sack, he can still be a headache for the Buffs. Oregon’s Popo Aumavae is leading the team with two sacks on the season.

The ducks have a total of six on the season. Keep Sanders clean and he will make the right decision as he has shown in these few games. His only interception came when there was pressure, and his arm was hit as he threw the ball. There is no reason that Sanders should not be able to take advantage of the weak secondary of Oregon, if he stays upright.

This is the first conference game for CU, and it should be a good one. The Buffs have seen their fair share of challenges over the course of the first three weeks and going against the Ducks doesn’t get any easier. Oregon out of the three other teams is the most-balanced on both sides of the ball. This will also be the most explosive offense they have seen so far. CU is the underdog once again and like week one against TCU, don’t be surprised if CU pulls another upset on the road.