The college football world can change in an instant — and that couldn’t be more true for No. 8 USC and unranked Colorado. The battle of some of the sports’ primetime stars will meet in the early morning when the Buffaloes and Trojans clash Saturday morning.

Both teams finished 2021 with a 4-8 overall record and a 3-6 record in the Pac-12, taking different paths to get to where they are now. USC made the jump after that season with the landscape-altering move of hiring Head Coach Lincoln Riley; Boulder made the switch to Head Coach Deion Sanders this past season in an equally seismic move.

Both teams have gotten to where they are in huge part because of the transfer portal. USC has had 35 transfers since Riley got to campus, while Colorado has had 51 transfers come into the team this season alone.

“Our jobs as coaches is to do what’s necessary to help make these programs … the best they possibly can,” Riley said in a press conference Tuesday. “We’ve all seen it at [USC]; there’s a lot of similarities in the transformation here to what [Sanders] has done at Colorado.”

The Trojans (4-0, 2-0 in the Pac-12) will be on the road for the second straight week after struggling last week against Arizona State. It was a one-possession game for the majority of the time against a Sun Devils team that was down to its third-string quarterback.

USC was able to come out on top by double-digits nonetheless, but junior quarterback Caleb Williams was needed for all four quarters, the first time that’s happened this year. The Trojans will have to take on a hostile crowd again this week, with Colorado reporting that the game has been sold out since the first week of September.

“The odds are against us, everybody wants us to lose on our away games, the fans are going for the other team so it really just brings your [teammates] closer and [you] count on them,” said junior safety Calen Bullock.

USC has never lost to Colorado, holding a 16-0 record all-time. The Trojans have outscored the Buffs 92-31 in their last two meetings, including a 37-14 trouncing in 2021. Who was Boulder’s number two leading receiver that year? USC’s own and current touchdown reception leader, senior wide receiver Brenden Rice.

“Colorado’s my first love, so seeing how Sanders has transformed [them] makes me happy,” Rice said. “But at the same time, going back, that nostalgia, it’s a rivalry now and I can’t wait to go tear up Folsom [Field].”

The storyline would be much different if it weren’t for Oregon’s pounding of the Buffs 42-6 last week. Regardless, these two potent offenses will look to see who can be the one to get more key defensive stops. Boulder averages 32.5 points per game, but the Trojans have the best mark in the entire country with a whopping 55 points per game.

The admiral of their offense, Williams, has not even begun to drop off from his Heisman campaign last season. Despite playing just 195 snaps, he has the second-most passing touchdowns in the country and has the highest average points responsible for in Division I.

“The most physical and the most consistent team wins, and those are the two most important things I’m going to keep preaching to myself and to the team, and providing that energy when the team comes,” Williams said. “[Colorado’s] done a great job going 3-0, and this is not the same team we played last year … It’s going to be a good game, and I’m really excited to play.”

The Trojans’ latest Pac-12 quarterback challenge will be junior quarterback Shedeur Sanders. He has had a dominant first year at Boulder, putting up 1,410 passing yards and tossing 11 touchdowns to just one interception. Sanders has not been afraid to use his legs when he needs to, something USC has struggled against so far this season.

The Trojans’ defense has been highly scrutinized throughout the season, but it’s the Buffs’ defense that has also been on fraud watch. Colorado gives up an average of 475.8 yards per game, the 125th highest mark out of 130 teams. USC’s potent attack will have the opportunity to stretch Boulder’s defensive unit thin.

The Trojans will undoubtedly have their work cut out for them with 53,613 fans screaming down at them and cheering at every mistake. But the Trojans have been preparing for that all week, with thunderous crowd noise heard from their practice field all week in preparation for the harsh environment. When the Trojans get into that away team tunnel, they’ll be prepared for the challenge in front of them.

“It’s exhilarating, just hearing all the boos and stuff like that, you feel the energy, you feel the vibe, you’re in that moment, it’s exciting,” said redshirt senior wide receiver Tahj Washington. “It’s gonna be an exciting game, everybody’s putting in the work leading up to this point, so I’m just excited to just get out there and play.”

USC will put its perfect 4-0 record on the line against Colorado at Folsom Field Saturday at 9 a.m.

Kasey Kazliner contributed to this report.