The undefeated, new-look Colorado Buffaloes face off with Oregon Saturday afternoon at Autzen Stadium. Colorado, which comes to Eugene ranked No. 19 nationally, looks to be No.10 Oregon’s toughest opponent thus far.

What a difference a year makes for Colorado. The Buffaloes, who lost 11 games by an average margin of 29.1 points last year, are coming into Saturday’s matchup 3-0.

Led by first-year head coach Deion Sanders, Colorado has taken college football by storm. The Buffaloes, who returned just 10 players from their 1-11 squad a season ago, have built their 2023 roster through the transfer portal. Players have flocked to Boulder to come play for Sanders.

Colorado’s offense is led by Deion’s son, Shedeur Sanders. Through Week 3, Sanders ranks second in FBS in passing yards and has thrown for 10 touchdowns to just one interception.

The Buffaloes narrowly avoided an upset last week against in-state rival Colorado State. In a game in which they trailed by 9 points in the fourth quarter, Sanders was able to orchestrate a last minute drive followed by a two point conversion to force overtime. After he found tight end Michael Harrison in the end zone, the Buffaloes defense was able to hold off Colorado State in double overtime.

Sanders and the Buffaloes’ offense struggled at times, especially with the absence of dynamic two-way star Travis Hunter. Hunter left the game late in the first quarter and did not return. In his post game press conference, head coach Sanders said that Hunter would “be out for a few weeks.”

In Hunter’s absence, Sanders will likely look to true freshman Dylan Edwards. Edwards has proven to be a threat early this season, exploiting defenses on the ground and in the passing game. In Week 1 against TCU, Edwards caught three passing touchdowns while adding another rushing.

The Buffaloes’ defense has struggled to stop the run thus far in 2023. Colorado has been torched on the ground, allowing 262 and 222 rushing yards in weeks one and two. Oregon’s rushing attack led by Jordan James, Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington has averaged over 215 yards per game. Through the first three weeks of 2023, the Buffaloes have forced 10 total turnovers which ties them for first in all of the FBS. Oregon’s offense, on the other hand, has specialized in keeping the ball safe. The Ducks have yet to turn the ball over this season, one of just two teams to do so.

“We talk about [turnovers] every day. That’s our main goal,” Oregon quarterback Bo Nix said. “The number one way to play clean is to not turn the ball over and not give them easy possessions.”

Oregon has dominated against lesser teams to start the season, winning games against the University of Hawaii and Portland State University by 74 and 45 points respectively. On the road against Texas Tech, however, Oregon struggled with discipline issues. The Ducks were penalized 14 times in Week 2 for 124 yards. Oregon, relying on stellar play by quarterback Bo Nix and a clutch pick-six by Jeffrey Bassa, escaped Lubbock with a victory.

The Ducks’ penalty issues plagued them yet again in Week 3. Despite rolling over the University of Hawaii 55-10, the Ducks were penalized nine times for 76 yards. Against Hawaii, the Ducks played a near-perfect game totaling 560 yards of total offense — Hawai’i finished the game with just 201.

Oregon’s offense, which ranks second nationally in total scoring, will look to continue its dominance against Colorado.

In a battle of unbeaten squads, the Ducks and Buffaloes face off at 12:30 PST at Autzen Stadium.