This post was updated Oct. 27 at 12:01 a.m.

The Bruins traveled to Boulder with a win all but guaranteed against a historically bad Buffaloes team one season ago.

After four quarters, they left Folsom Field with a 45-17 victory.

But one year later, an entirely different squad is coming to the Rose Bowl, and the only guarantee is a sold-out crowd.

It will be prime time in Pasadena when No. 23 UCLA football (5-2, 2-2 Pac-12) faces off against Colorado (4-3, 1-3) in its homecoming game Saturday. This will be the Bruins’ first matchup against the Buffaloes since the offseason shakeup resulting in the acquisition of coach Deion Sanders – colloquially referred to as Coach Prime – to helm the program before his subsequent leveraging of the transfer portal brought in 86 new players.

Coach Chip Kelly had nothing but good things to say about Sanders.

“He had a tremendous amount of talent, but he’s got an incredible work ethic in what he does and how he performs and what he puts into it,” Kelly said. “And I think that’s what he’s asking from his players, and that’s what he’s getting from his players, so it’s really impressive what he’s doing.”

When Sanders arrived in Boulder, in addition to a slew of other transfers, he also brought his son – quarterback Shedeur Sanders – and wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, who have become two staples of Colorado. Despite Hunter missing three of the Buffaloes’ seven games because of injury, the Jackson State transfer is still within the top 20 in the conference in receiving yards.

Redshirt sophomore wide receiver J.Michael Sturdivant – who is listed two notches higher than Hunter on the same list – will likely go head-to-head with the two-way player, and said he’s aware of the challenges Hunter faces playing on both sides of the ball.

“It’s hard to play one way on the ball, so playing both ways is definitely challenging,” Sturdivant said. “But you know everybody is tired out there, so you just run and play the best you can every snap.”

Shedeur Sanders is second in the Pac-12 in passing yards behind Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. while averaging 345.7 passing yards per game. He’s also second in the conference in touchdowns and first in completions.

The quarterback has been sacked 34 times but thrown just three interceptions. Kelly said his ability to avoid turnovers while under pressure is part of what makes him such an asset to the Buffaloes.

“I would say the best quarterbacks are the toughest quarterbacks that can stand in there even though there’s a rush coming and still deliver the ball where it’s supposed to be and not put it in harm’s way,” Kelly said. “He does that a ton.”

On the other hand, UCLA is in a different situation. Freshman quarterback Dante Moore – who has started in five of the Bruins’ games thus far but not last week against Stanford – is currently leading the Pac-12 in interceptions thrown.

Senior tight end Hudson Habermehl said whether Moore, redshirt junior Ethan Garbers or redshirt junior Collin Schlee takes snaps Saturday, the Bruins will have a successful leader in the role.

“They’re (Moore and Garbers) both really good quarterbacks,” Habermehl said. “Dante took on his role as a young quarterback and he did really well, and same with Ethan. It’s nice having all these weapons, along with Collin Schlee, for the offense.”

Saturday’s contest will also mark the first time the Rose Bowl has been sold out since the rivalry matchup with USC last November. While much of this can be tied to the game overlapping with homecoming and Family Weekend, UCLA is up next to play host to the allure that Deion Sanders has brought with him everywhere he goes this season.

“I think he’s great for college football, I think the attention and the buzz that he’s brought to this game,” Kelly said.