USC is the No. 5-ranked team in the country, off to a dominant 3-0 start, the top scoring team in the FBS at 59.3 points per game, fresh off a bye week break and a legitimate College Football Playoff contender led by one of the most accomplished coaches in the sport and a generational talent at quarterback in reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams.

Arizona State (1-2) is in the first year of a substantial rebuild under a first-time head coach in Kenny Dillingham, with the two quarterbacks that have started games so far this season both out with injury, the third-worst scoring offense in the country and coming off a humbling 29-0 loss to Fresno State.

These teams could not be much more different entering their clash Saturday in Tempe, Arizona (7:30 p.m. PT on FOX).

"I don't want any preconceived notions about this week. Like I've said before, when you're at a place like USC, you can watch how people play on film, and they [can] be like this against this team or that team, and a lot of times you play them and it's a totally different deal," Trojans coach Lincoln Riley said. "USC coming to play anywhere is a big deal, and we have to have a healthy respect for this opponent, which we do, and I hope we'll play well."

It is the first road game for the Trojans, which is a new wrinkle from the first three games in which they were also heavily favored.

And while the Vegas handicappers may not be expecting much of a game Saturday night -- USC is set as a 34.5-point favorite -- there are some compelling storylines nonetheless for the Trojans.

Here are five takeaways from USC's preparations this week and what we're intrigued to see Saturday ...

After missing the last two games with an undisclosed injury, team captain Mason Cobb is returning to action Saturday, putting the Trojans' linebacker unit at full strength for the first time this season.

While Cobb was out, junior Raesjon Davis received his first extensive playing time of his career while logging 95 defensive snaps over the last two games (with favorable reviews from the coaching staff). Meanwhile, freshman Tackett Curtis has started all three games, Eric Gentry continues to make a noticeable impact whenever he's on the field (and after playing 40 snaps vs. Stanford and getting some rest over the bye week, he's also good to go Saturday) and veteran Shane Lee got praise this week from Riley when asked who has stood out from a leadership standpoint on the team.

"It's been amazing. The whole linebacker group, I've been so proud of. It's just been the most competitive I've ever felt in life, just striving and pushing each other to be the best," Gentry said. "It's really a solid ... competition where we're just really pushing each other, who can be the best today? ... Coach [Brian] Odom told us, 'If you get two plays, you did a lot to deserve those two plays.' It's not just giving reps out there anymore."

Indeed, the situation at linebacker is demonstrably different than it was last year -- or in quite some time for the Trojans.

So what does that mean for the distribution of playing time vs. Arizona State?

"Mason’s definitely taken advantage of the bye week, he’s going to be available to play, don’t think we’re going to have any restrictions or limitations there, which that’s a really positive thing. It’ll be great to get him back. In the meantime, guys like Raesjon and Eric and Tackett, those guys, Shane of course, all of those guys have taken advantage of some of that time on the practice field and in games and done some really good things," Riley said. "I would imagine we’ll play a few different guys there, a few different lineups, and then of course if we settle in and guys are performing well, we may ride the hot hand a little bit, but I would expect to see some or all of those guys."

Consider it an ongoing audition or evaluation for what combination works best for the Trojans moving forward.

Cobb, the high-profile transfer from Oklahoma State, would seem a lock to be heavily involved regardless of who is next to him.

Cobb had 6 tackles with 2 tackles for loss in the season opener vs. San Jose State, though it wasn't a flawless performance from the veteran, who will be looking to assert himself in his return and back up the preseason hype that accompanied his arrival at USC.

"Man, these past two weeks have been good to me, being able to get in the playbook a lot more, get my body right and build my strength up. So I feel really healthy and ready to go Saturday," he said. "... I'm so excited to be back and playing. I haven't played, what, it's been four weeks now Saturday? So, man, I'm excited, man. Practice feels like a game for me, just flying around and having fun."

Gentry, meanwhile, has played just 68 snaps all season but he said the bye week was good for his surgically-repaired ankle. The lanky 6-foot-6 linebacker is a fulcrum of energy when he's on the field with a unique skill set for the position.

"I'm trying to do everything I can to stand out on the field every time I get in. That's a part of it is ... bringing the juice," Gentry said. "Coach Odom told me like, 'If you don't bring the juice, you're just a skinny linebacker. But if you do, you're top in the country, you're one of the best players I've ever coached.' I took that to heart."

Gentry would seem the most likely to garner a major share of the snaps alongside Cobb, but the Trojans have been pretty committed to investing in Curtis, the highly-touted freshman, and wanting to accelerate his development as he might have the best all-around potential of anyone in the unit. Davis would presumably only keep getting better with more experience as well, and Lee has played a lot of snaps for this team since last season.

It will be perhaps the most intriguing storyline to monitor Saturday how those snap counts shake out for the group.

"Certainly the linebackers have got to play in sync. There’s playing your job and doing well yourself, but then there’s obviously a lot of communication that goes on with those guys and really working well together, so I think we’re excited to find, all right, is there that ideal combination of guys that really perform at a high level together?" Riley said. "And that group has probably been more disjointed than most just because Eric and Mason both missing time, Shane missing basically all of fall camp, Tackett being new, Raesjon had an injury during fall camp. So that group has been a little bit disjointed so we’re hoping to find some continuity, and I think we were able to start building that some a little bit during the bye week and certainly during this week during practice."

It was no surprise that USC has rotated through all of its wide receivers the first three games. Winning comfortably provided prime opportunities for the freshmen to get significant experience and for guys like Kyron Hudson and Michael Jackson III to prove they're ready to contribute in a bigger way this year.

It also wouldn't be a surprise if the distribution of targets tightened up a little bit moving into the meat of the schedule (which maybe doesn't quite apply until next week at Colorado).

But WRs coach Dennis Simmons indicated that he doesn't necessarily plan to change the approach he's had through three games.

"I don't know that we'll necessarily shrink it. The guys have been practicing hard, so our commitment to them, as long as you're working hard you've got the right to play and you'll get reps," Simmons said.

Asked how many receivers he ideally wants to play Saturday, Simmons thought for a moment and said, "I would say we'll probably rotate anywhere from 7 to 8."

Well, the Trojans only have 10 active scholarship wide receivers (excluding Raleek Brown, who is expected to redshirt), so that would seem to indicate a continued commitment to get third-year receivers Hudson (3 catches for 42 yards) and Jackson (2 catches for 19 yards and a TD) involved, along with freshman Duce Robinson (8-186-1) on top of established veterans Dorian Singer (8-119-2), Tahj Washington (9-233-3), Mario Williams (10-111-0), Brenden Rice (5-124-3) and star freshman Zachariah Branch (9-110-2).

In the case of Rice, who many expected to have a breakout season after the way he finished 2022, Simmons said the message to him has been the same as to everyone else in the unit.

"He's taken what we're preaching in the meeting rooms, not just to him but to all of those guys. We're going to spread the ball around, everybody's going to get their shot. It's on you now to maximize it and show what you can do when you get it. He's done a great job of doing that so far," Simmons said.

Singer, meanwhile, was one of the most targeted receivers in the conference last year with 98 targets leading to 66 catches, 1,105 yards and 6 TDs at Arizona. So far through three games, he's hauled in all 8 of his targets and says he understands it's a different situation with the Trojans.

"It hasn't really been a challenge. It's just like, every guy's good so when you get the ball maximize your opportunities with it, just embrace it, embrace being in a good offense because we're winning, we're playing ball all around and everybody's having fun, everybody's eating so I'm happy with it," he said this week.

"Just being a team player is all I can do, and it's all what my goal was at the beginning of the year, what I could do best even if the ball is not in my hands, how can I best involve my teammates whether that's in the pass, run, on the sideline if I need to be. Whatever it may be, I just want to encourage my teammates and do the best to my ability that I can whether the ball's in my hands or not."