Instructions, storylines, predictions

Colorado (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) vs. Arizona (3-3, 1-3)

When/Where: Saturday, 2 p.m., Arizona Stadium

TV/Radio: KDVR/850 AM

BetMGM line: CU +3, O/U 58.5

Weather: Partly sunny, 71 degrees at kickoff.

Series history: CU leads 16-10 (last meeting: Arizona won 34-31 in Boulder in 2023)

Three storylines

WR depth test: Four Colorado wide receivers suffered injuries in last week's 31-28 loss to Kansas State. Buffs coach Deion Sanders says two-way star Travis Hunter “definitely should play,” and Jimmy Horn Jr. is also expected to play. But Omarion Miller is out for the season after undergoing surgery, and Terrell Timmons will miss Saturday. All of this means more options for transfers LaJohntay Wester and Will Sheppard. Wester — who caught Hail Mary vs. Baylor from Shedeur Sanders — finished second in the country with 108 catches for Florida Atlantic last year. With CU, he caught 26 passes for 318 yards and seven touchdowns. Sheppard led Vanderbilt in receiving for two years before coming to Boulder, where he caught 22 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns. True freshmen Drelon Miller and Kam Mikell also saw some action.

Turn off Shilo?: “I saw everyone turning on me,” sixth-year safety Shilo Sanders said Tuesday after struggling in the “worst game of my life” against Kansas State and DJ Giddens. Coach Prime said his middle son played “horribly.” It's possible that the younger Sanders, returning from surgery after his injury against Nebraska, was simply rusty. Or maybe he wasn't quite ready to get back on the field. If Shilo can do it – he was confident Tuesday that he will – there will be no problem. But if he misses multiple tackles against Arizona like he did against K-State, Deion could have a difficult decision to make. The coach attaches great importance to responsibility. He even benched Shilo in the SWAC championship game because he was late to a meeting at Jackson State. And with 13 total tackles against CSU, Baylor and UCF, Carter Stoutmire looked pretty good in Shilo's absence.

Mid-season mood check: At 4-2, the Buffs have the same record as they did at this point last season – but the mood is completely different. A 42-6 loss to Oregon and an agonizingly close 48-41 loss to USC at home felt like the beginning of the end after a 3-0 start. CU beat Arizona State 27-24 on the road before going on a six-game losing streak and falling out of bowl eligibility. This season, the highs haven't been quite as high (remember the hype after the Nebraska win?) and the lows, at least so far, haven't been quite as deep. This balanced CU schedule reflects the relatively flat Big 12 hierarchy this year, where any team could beat any other team. (Even 5-1 Kansas came within a score of beating Illinois, UNLV, West Virginia and Arizona State.) If undefeated BYU and Iowa State falter, the Buffs could climb their league lead fairly quickly.

Predictions

Sarah Kelly, deputy sports editor: CU 31, Arizona 24

Colorado has the better quarterback in Shedeur Sanders (2,018 passing yards and 17 touchdowns with a completion rate of 72.6% versus Noah Fifta's 1,636 yards, eight TDs, 58.9%) and has the Big 12's best red zone defense (No. 7 nationally). . Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is a bit of a nightmare, and his stats reflect that: He has thrown for 100 or more yards three times this season and leads the league with 742 receiving yards (third in FBS). And Arizona's defense will welcome back leading tackler Jacob Manu, who was somewhat controversially sent off in the first quarter against BYU last week. Both teams can get a little sloppy. The Wildcats average 62 yards per game on the kill (92nd in the FBS) and the Buffaloes average 53 yards per game (98th), so the team that plays with the most discipline will likely emerge victorious. Ultimately, the K-State loss motivates the Buffs to head to Tucson.