SATURDAY EVENING

No. 20 USC (0-0) vs. No. 1 Alabama (0-0) 5 p.m., Channel 7 at Arlington, Texas

The buzz has been building around this Pac-12 versus Southeastern Conference game since it was scheduled in July 2014, but USC isn’t where most people thought it would be two years later. At the time, the Trojans were off to a fresh start after firing coach Lane Kiffin and hiring Steve Sarkisian. Now, Kiffin runs a dynamic offense for the reigning national champion Crimson Tide and Sarkisian has been replaced by first-year Coach Clay Helton. Both teams will deploy a first-year starting quarterback. For the Trojans, it’s Max Browne; the Crimson Tide will make a game-time decision on either Blake Barnett or Cooper Bateman.

No. 2 Clemson (0-0) at Auburn (0-0) 6 p.m., ESPN

Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney took the Tigers to the next level last season, even though it ended in a loss to Alabama in the national title game. The Tigers return quarterback Deshaun Watson and tailback Wayne Gallman. After taking his team to the title game in his first season as Auburn coach, Gus Malzahn is on the hot seat after finishing 8-5 and 7-6 the last two seasons. After a long quarterback battle, third-year sophomore Sean White was announced as the starter over Jonathan Franklin III — recognizable from the Netflix documentary “Last Chance U” — and Jeremy Johnson. 5 p.m.: Fresno State at Nebraska, BTN; Eastern Washington at Washington State, Pac-12. 7:30 p.m.: Brigham Young vs. Arizona at Phoenix, FS1; Northern Illinois at Wyoming, CBSSN. 7:45 p.m.: Northern Arizona at Arizona State, Pac-12.