After covering both teams in person Saturday, Tyler King and Vinny Benedetto exchanged thoughts on the biggest storylines entering this week’s Rocky Mountain Showdown:

King: Truth is, Vinny, I’m thrilled to be back in Colorado after spending the weekend in your home state of Nebraska to cover the beat down the Cornhuskers handed Deion Sanders and Colorado. Sorry, I forgot to bring you back a runza. Anyway, it’s Rocky Mountain Showdown week. After 9 million viewers watched last year’s double-overtime game in Boulder, the Buffs and Rams meet Saturday night in a nationally televised game on CBS. People want to know: will the CU offensive line hold up in this game? After that unit allowed six sacks against Nebraska, what did you from CSU that suggests the Rams can take advantage and put pressure on Shedeur Sanders?

Benedetto: I hope the Memorial Stadium crowd was nicer to you than it was the Buffs. After covering the Rams, it looks like Shedeur Sanders is in for a more comfortable week. It will be another hostile environment if the Canvas Stadium crowd’s reaction Saturday to Colorado’s 28-0 halftime deficit is any indication, but he should operate from a cleaner pocket. The Rams’ defensive line failed to record a sack against Northern Colorado, though Gabe Kirschke was credited with a sack against Texas. I didn’t see any Nash Hutmachers or Ty Robinsons on the CSU line, which should be welcome news for the Buffs. I’m curious how you think Colorado State’s offensive line holds up Saturday. The Rams ran the ball effectively both weeks.

TK: Great question. And Canvas Stadium is a hidden gem among Group of Five facilities. But you nailed down the biggest matchup of this year’s Rocky Mountain Showdown. Through two weeks, CSU looks like a much improved team on the ground with promising freshman Justin Marshall racking up over 100 yards against Texas and the team combining for nearly 250 yards against UNC. But the Buffs’ rushing defense looks like one of the strengths of their team as well. This is a CU defense that allowed over 175 rushing yards per game last season and now looks like a more formidable unit, especially in that second half in Lincoln where CU allowed under 3.5 yards per carry against a Huskers offense that was trying to salt away the game on the ground. CSU coach Jay Norvell was complimentary of the Buffs’ speedy wide receivers, saying they might even be faster than the ones they faced at Texas in Week 1. How much of a problem will the Rams have in trying to limit the likes of Travis Hunter, Jimmy Horn Jr. and LaJohntay Wester?

VB: Norvell might want to swing by Tap and Handle or somewhere else in Old Town after dealing with Colorado’s receivers. The Longhorns had four guys with 50 or more yards and receivers caught four touchdown passes, even though their longest touchdown reception was an 11-yarder. Northern Colorado wasn’t nearly as efficient through the air, and the Bears’ tight ends accounted for some of the bigger plays. The Rams did allow a 50-yard touchdown pass to UNC’s Brayden Munroe. The Rams must limit big plays through the air to have a chance against Hunter, Horn and Webster. The good news for the Rams is they’ve seen just how dynamic CU’s passing game can be after Shedeur Sanders passed for nearly 350 yards and four touchdowns a year ago in Boulder. A big day from Henry Blackburn would go a long way toward a more celebratory mood in FoCo. Which one of these 1-1 coaches needs this win more — Norvell or Coach Prime?

TK: You can make a good case for both. The expectation for every CU coach is to beat CSU. Plain and simple. It would be a bad look for Deion Sanders if he didn’t leave Fort Collins with a win. But I’m still going to go with Norvell. From my perspective, a lot would need to happen for Coach Prime to be on the hot seat at any time during this season. Making the Buffs relevant again since he was hired means his tenure is a success. The same can’t be said for Norvell, though. Through 26 games at CSU, he’s 9-17. Yes, the situation he took over was bad. But this must be the season to get it going. There’s no better place for that to really kick off than at home against the program’s biggest rivals. It’s the signature win Norvell is lacking.