As No. 19-ranked Colorado visits No. 10 Oregon on Saturday, the matchup and buildup around the game feels awfully similar to that of the season-opener vs. TCU.

The Buffs are 21-point underdogs on the road against a ranked team with a highly-regarded offense. It makes sense why Oregon is favored after the chaos of the Buffs' double-overtime win over Colorado State game, but Colorado's secret weapon lies in Shedeur Sanders' elite ability under pressure.

Just like heading into the season opener, the Buffs have something to prove Saturday in Eugene, Oregon.

And as now seems to be the case every week, they'll have the attention of the college football world for this battle of 3-0 teams in Autzen Stadium.

Our CU Sports Report staff dives deeper into the storylines for Saturday ...

Nicolette Edwards: Equally as much as people tune in to see the Buffs win, many are anxious to see the Buffs lose. Colorado has already experienced being 20-plus point underdogs against TCU, but after the challenges on both sides of the ball last week and no Travis Hunter to minimize the Ducks' strong passing game, there will be multiple hurdles to overcome in order to beat Oregon.

With wins like TCU and the dramatic finish against Colorado State considered, Shedeur Sanders has shown he doesn't much worry about the odds placed upon him. Yes, the cards are stacked high against the Buffs as they head into Autzen Stadium, but if they do leave victorious, the win’s biggest impacts could be seen in recruiting.

Colorado is flush in many facets of the program with recruiting interest spiking, all home games sold out for the first time in CU history and the Buffs continuing to be one of the hottest stories in college football. CU’s current high market value may experience a slight (emphasis on slight) downturn if the Buffs are unable to put up a fight in their biggest test yet. A win, however, on top of all the celebrities and excitement that are present around the program, will surely turn a handful of heads on the recruiting front.

"We're receiving so many calls at this point right now it's absurd," coach Deion Sanders said on Sept. 12. "Just inquiring about what we do and how we do what we do and visitation, desiring to come on an unofficial and official visit.

2025 five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, 2024 top-100 Tennessee commit Boo Carter and many others that have already stopped by Boulder have witnessed the immense change and energy that Sanders has brought to the program. Young talent across the country has taken notice of Colorado, that’s for sure. If you’re even the slightest bit interested in football, you’ve heard about Sanders and Colorado football at this point. Win or lose up in Oregon, the country will stay fixated and fascinated on Sanders and what he's building here.

Troy Finnegan: It would cement Colorado as a football team that’s capable of competing for a Pac-12 title and possibly more. The hype train around the Buffs has been through the roof since Deion Sanders was hired and has only skyrocketed after the 3-0 start. But while they beat a good team in TCU and figured out a good defense in Nebraska, this is by far the Buffs’ biggest test.

While the Buffs have shown that they’re a good football team that creates a ton of explosive plays on offense and can force plenty of turnovers on defense, they haven't proven that they have the "meat and potatoes", if you will, that you need to be a true contender in college football. CU has struggled up front on both sides of the ball, especially in the run game, but a win on Saturday would cement them as one of the top teams in the country. Going into Autzen Stadium to take out Oregon has been one of college football’s toughest tasks since the Ducks rose to prominence. Since the start of the 2017-18 season, Oregon is 33-3 at home. If the Buffs can go into such a difficult environment and pick up a win, it would speak volumes about their true potential in Year 1 under Sanders.