A pivotal game awaits both Colorado and BYU on Saturday night at Folsom Field.

With yet another 8:15 p.m. (ESPN) kickoff in Boulder, both the Buffaloes and Cougars will have all day to think about the game that could define how the rest of their seasons go in the Big 12.

Deion Sanders’ team enters with a loss already in conference play to Houston, while Kalani Sitake’s crew is 3-0 after taking care of business against a pretty easy schedule to begin the 2025 season.

Here are five storylines to watch:

Kaidon Salter’s follow-up performance

The quarterback carousel is over. Barring an injury or a major setback in terms of performance, Salter is the Buffs’ starting quarterback, and his performance last week (over 300 passing yards and 4 total touchdowns) against Wyoming showed why CU went and got him in the transfer portal. Now it’s about backing that up and validating the belief among the Buffs that it wasn’t just because they were playing a lesser opponent. How Salter looks this week will go a long way toward determining CU’s ceiling as a team this fall.

The BYU rushing attack

Cougars running back LJ Martin is going to get the ball a lot. A lot. After racking up 88 yards and two touchdowns against CU in the Alamo Bowl last December, the junior has rattled off three straight games with over 100 rushing yards to start 2025. Against a Buffs defense that has been vulnerable against the run at times throughout the first month, expect BYU to lean on Martin early and often to try and set the tone and keep the Buffs offense off the field for as long as possible.

A different look at running back?

It’s the worst-kept secret in Boulder this week, but expect Dre’lon Miller to work out of the backfield Saturday night. With the Buffs down their top two running backs, seniors DeKalon Taylor and Simeon Price, they’re left with just Dallan Hayden and Micah Welch at the position. But Miller views himself in the mold of a Deebo Samuel that can line up both at wide receiver and at running back, doing so at times last season. It might be a good way to jump-start the sophomore from Texas who has struggled with drops through the first few games and hasn’t been the offensive weapon CU expected coming into the year. 

The Cougars’ freshman QB

Speaking of the BYU rushing attack, true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier will play a role in that, as well. Yes, it will take CU fans maybe the entire first quarter to get used to the fact that the opposing team’s quarterback is wearing No. 47, but that’s Bachmeier. He’s been solid against lesser competition through three weeks, and while the Cougars will likely take plenty off his plate in the toughest road start of his career to date, Bachmeier will have to make a few plays in the passing game for his team to come out on top.

Special teams

Special teams is the one area of the game that haunted Coach Prime time and time again in his first two years. It nearly cost the Buffs a few games last year, namely against Baylor at the end of September. Now, it’s a point of strength for CU. Whether it’s on kickoffs or punts, the Buffs are consistently getting the most out of their coverage units and even feel on the verge of breaking off a big return when they get the ball. A key special teams play often makes the difference in the tight conference game this is shaping up to be.

King’s prediction

No. 25 BYU 24, Colorado 17
It won’t look like the beatdown in San Antonio at the end of last season, but the Cougars still have too much brute strength and force up front for Coach Prime and the Buffs. Through RB LJ Martin, BYU will control the game at the line of scrimmage and turn this into a slog of a contest with limited possessions. Kaidon Salter continues to look good at quarterback, but just like in Week 1, a late touchdown run by the visitors spoils the party at Folsom Field.