The big showdown we will get when USC plays Colorado is Caleb Williams versus Shedeur Sanders. Two highly-talented quarterbacks will sling the ball around the yard when the Trojans face the Buffaloes.
The one-on-one battle we won’t get on September 30 is Zachariah Branch versus Travis Hunter. Branch as a receiver versus Hunter as a corner was going to excite a lot of fans and NFL scouts. Now we won’t have that battle due to Hunter’s injury, which will keep him out for at least three weeks, as our friends at Buffaloes Wire have reported.
Does Hunter’s injury mean Branch can go wild as a receiver and begin to become a top option among USC’s flankers, or will Branch get a lot of all-purpose yards primarily as a kick returner?
Those are interesting questions. There’s so much to explore with Zachariah Branch and this season at USC.
We talked more about Zachariah Branch with Tim Prangley and Mark Rogers at The Voice of College Football:
Catch all of Ducks Wire’s Pac-12 team previews for the 2023 season:
Arizona — Arizona State — California — Colorado — Oregon State — Stanford — UCLA — USC — Utah — Washington — Washington State