ORLANDO, Fla. — Colorado is doing everything it can to have a normal week of game preparations.

The Buffaloes left a day earlier than they typically would for a road game, heading to Orlando on Wednesday to beat hurricane Helene’s arrival in Florida.

Deion Sanders and his team secured practice facilities to prepare for what figures to be a tough first road Big 12 game against an unbeaten Central Florida team led by a veteran coach in Gus Malzahn who’s done a lot of winning over the last 10 years.

Here are five storylines to watch Saturday at the “Bounce House”:

The UCF run game vs. the CU defensive line

Two of the Knights’ first three games came against less-than-stellar opponents. But anytime a team averages close to 400 rushing yards per game, it’s impressive.

It will be strength vs. strength at FBC Mortgage Stadium.

It’s been a remarkable turnaround for the CU defense as the unit has gone from one that was ranked 122nd in run defense in 2023, per Pro Football Focus, to one that is now 15th through four games in 2024.

The Buffs are getting solid production from the defensive line to the linebackers all the way to the secondary. Similar to Baylor last week, UCF will utilize multiple running backs, led by RJ Harvey, and the legs of quarterback KJ Jefferson. It will be defensive coordinator Robert Livingston’s toughest test so far this season.

Travis Hunter’s Heisman campaign

The “HE12MAN” banner hanging from the suites at Folsom Field last weekend was impossible to miss. The campaign is officially underway for CU’s two-way star.

Even if the Buffs struggle to get more than seven or eight wins, Hunter still has a path to the Heisman ceremony in New York. Many in the national media consider him to be far and away the best football player in the country. However, much like the NFL MVP award, the Heisman Trophy has recently become an award that goes to the best quarterback or the quarterback on the best team.

There have been a handful of exceptions, like Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith in 2020. Hunter could be one of the exceptions.

Last week, Hunter had another 100-yard receiving game and a game-winning forced fumble in overtime.

CU offensive line reshuffling

Coach Prime continues to surprise Buffs fans with his repeated message that CU will continue to shuffle the offensive line in the hopes of keeping eight players fresh and engaged throughout the season.

On the surface, that sounds like a smart idea — until games like last week happened, when Shedeur Sanders was sacked eight times. It could’ve been closer to 15 if not for Shedeur’s elusiveness in the pocket. Do the Buffs eventually reach a point where they stick with a single five-man unit? That question could be answered against UCF’s physical defensive line.

Buffs special teams

The appropriate word for CU’s special teams in Week 4 is disaster. Even playing at altitude, the Buffs still can’t consistently kick the ball into and through the end zone for touchbacks, while their opponents do so with ease.

Now, their kickoff specialist, Jace Feely, has a torn ACL. CU may be forced to kick it short to avoid big returns like the ones Baylor had on both a kickoff and a punt return.

Special teams should’ve already cost the Buffs one game, and it may end up costing them one or two the rest of the season if they don’t find answers for their problems.

The weather

Coach Prime probably shouldn’t have tested the accuracy of local meteorologists last week. The Buffs had to beat Baylor through a consistent rain. Now they had to avoid a hurricane while traveling to Florida. Oh, and there’s a chance the remnants of Helene bring thunderstorms Saturday.

King’s prediction

UCF 28, Colorado 17

The Big 12 is unpredictable. Still, UCF has too much talent for CU to overcome and a run-heavy game plan that may keep the Buffs’ explosive offense off the field.