As a college football fan, it doesn't get much better than Michigan vs. USC, in the LA Coliseum with the sun setting.
That's what Michigan football fans, and fans everywhere, will be treated to on Saturday night as the two traditional college football powers will meet for the second straight season.
Michigan knocked off USC in a top-25 matchup in Ann Arbor a season ago. This year, the two teams will meet with identical 4-1 records. The Wolverines are ranked 15th. USC is unranked, but that will change this weekend with a win.
In terms of the College Football Playoff, the game is crucial for both teams. If USC beats Michigan, it can at least put itself in the playoff conversation. A loss puts them behind the 8-ball.
Whichever teams loses won't be out of the playoff race. However, it would probably need to win out, which isn't easy to do in the 18-team Big Ten. Just winning a game isn't easy as we learned last week.
UCLA, Purdue, and Wisconsin, three of the worst teams in the conference, played with three of the best: Penn State, Illinois, and Michigan. Penn State lost. Anything can happen, especially when you travel across the country.
Looking ahead to Saturday's showdown, here are five questions facing the Wolverines.
Can Michigan survive the travel?
Traveling across two time zones and winning isn't easy. Michigan football has a 1-10 record in such games in the 21st Century. according to Zach Shaw of 247 Sports.
The only win was the Rose Bowl win over Alabama. Big Ten teams are 3-12 in such games. Penn State just lost last week to UCLA.
Michigan lost to Washington last season in a similar spot. The Wolverines were 4-1 before the trip to Seattle. Yet, there is one difference: The Wolverines know who their quarterback is, and he just threw for 270 yards and zero interceptions against Wisconsin. He can run, too.
Some great Michigan teams have struggled to win out West, though. Sherrone Moore is having the Michigan football team travel to Los Angeles on Thursday. They will practice at the Chargers facility, thanks to Jim Harbaugh. We'll see if that makes a difference.
Will the run game dominate again?
A good defense usually travels. How about a good running game?
Michigan football used a dominant rushing attack to beat Nebraska in Lincoln for the Big Ten opener. The Wolverines rushed for 286 yards. Justice Haynes, the former five-star and Alabama transfer, has rushed for over 100 yards in five consecutive games.
USC's defense is supposed to be better this season. The best offenses they have faced so far this season: Illinois and Michigan State each scored over 30 points.
Last season, Michigan rushed for 290 yards against USC. The Trojans allowed 4.5 yards per rushing attempt last season. Through four games, they have allowed just 3.1.
USC also hasn't faced a rushing attack like Michigan's or a back like Haynes. Regardless, if the Wolverines are going to win, they need to have success running the ball.
Will the Michigan defense travel?
This USC offense is no joke. The Trojans rank third in all of college football with an average of 48.4 points per game.
The offense is led by Jayden Maiava, who is leading the Big Ten in passing yards (1,587). He's thrown 11 touchdowns this season compared to one interception. Maiava can run, too. He's only got 57 yards on 20 attempts but has four touchdown runs.
Makai Lemon leads the Big Ten with 35 receptions for 589 yards. He's also got five touchdowns. The Wolverines shut down Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams last season. They will need to deploy that gameplan once again.
USC can run, too. The Trojans are rushing for 227 yards per game. Waymond Jordan has 537 rushing yards and is getting seven yards per attempt.
Everyone will be focused on the pass defense. But, Michigan better stop the run, too. This will be a huge challenge. Maybe even bigger than Oklahoma.
We'll see if Wink Martindale is up to the test.
Which pass rush will win?
Michigan's pass rush looked elite against Nebraska with seven sacks and more than 30 pressures. Yet, the Wolverines only had one sack against Wisconsin. They had five in the first three games.
In two games against Big Ten teams, the Trojans have only allowed one sack. Michigan State, which doesn't have a great front, didn't sack USC at all. Illinois only got to Maiava once.
Those teams don't have a pair of future NFL draft picks pressuring the quarterback, like Michigan football does with Derrick Moore and Jaishawn Barham.
Barham has been a true difference maker since moving to EDGE. Matt Rhule said he was a "top-10 pick." Moore is a day-two NFL draft pick, too. Those two players will need to win, along with Rayshaun Benny if they want to knock off the Trojans.
On the flip side of the coin, USC had three sacks against Illinois and Michigan State. That's not great production, considering Nebraska had four sacks against MSU.
The Trojans struggle on defense, and if they can't get pressure on Underwood, it could be a long night, which is true for both teams.
How much will Rod Moore play?
Rod Moore returned during the Nebraska game. He didn't make a huge impact, but got his feet wet. Then, he played 18 snaps against Wisconsin and made three impact plays.
It's scary to think about what the score could have been against the Badgers without Moore on the field. His first near-interception broke up a tight-end screen that had nothing but green grass in front of it.
The interception ended another Wisconsin drive in the second half. Moore also stopped a reverse that could have gone for a touchdown. Instead, Moore avoided an offensive lineman and got the Wisconsin player down for a five-yard gain.
Michigan football llikes to rotate players on all levels of the defense. But U-M needs Moore on the field as much as possible. If he's 100 percent, he should play every snap.