The No. 15 Michigan Wolverines (4-1) are heading out west to take on the USC Trojans (4-1) on Saturday.
Here’s a look at USC ahead of the matchup with Michigan.
USC’s season so far
- 73-13 win vs. Montana State
- 59-20 win vs. Georgia Southern
- 33-17 win at Purdue
- 45-31 win vs. Michigan State
- 34-32 loss at Illinois
Offensive rankings
- Total offense: No. 2
- Rushing offense: No. 17
- Passing offense: No. 3
- Passes had intercepted: No. 5
- Scoring offense: No. 3
- 3rd down %: No. 8
- First downs: No. 15
- Red Zone offense: No. 11
- Time of possession: No. 49
Defensive rankings
- Total defense: No. 68
- Rushing defense: No. 29
- Passing yards allowed: No. 109
- Scoring defense: No. 64
- Team sacks: No. 7
- First downs: No. 76
- Passes intercepted: No. 19
- Red zone defense: No. 2
- 3rd down defense: No. 78
- Tackles for loss: No. 12
A crucial year for the head coach
Most USC fans felt the program would have
made the College Football Playoff by now under head coach Lincoln Riley, and patience is starting to wear thin. Riley is 30-15 at USC but went 7-6 last year and just 4-5 in Big Ten play. If Riley winds up having a similar record in the Big Ten this season, the hot seat chatter will grow.
Elite quarterback play
USC QB Jayden Maiava has been excellent through five games, ranking No. 1 in Total QBE (93.5) while throwing for 1,587 yards, 11 touchdowns, and one interception with a 70.5 completion rate. Maiava also has four rushing scores this season.
A good rushing attack
Waymond Jordan paces the rushing attack with 537 rushing yards (7.0 yards per carry) with five touchdowns, while Eli Sanders has 264 rushing yards (5.6 yards per carry) and two touchdowns.
A clear WR1
While three USC wideouts have over 250 receiving yards, only one player has over 15 receptions, and that’s Makai Lemon. The 5-foot-11 WR has 35 receptions for 589 yards with five touchdowns. In USC’s loss to Illinois, Lemon had 11 receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns, and it will be hard to completely shut him out.
An elite pass rush
USC has 17 sacks on the season, ranking No. 7 in the nation. Braylan Shelby paces the team with 3.5 sacks, followed by Eric Gentry at 3 and Kameryn Craford at 2.5.
A ball hawk
Safety Bishop Fitzgerald already has three interceptions this season after having three all of last year. Fitzgerald has also been a steady tackler, with 20 of his 25 tackles being solo.
