One of the most interesting matchups on a loaded college football Saturday will take place in Los Angeles between the Michigan Wolverines and USC Trojans.
Michigan football is 4-1. So is USC. The Wolverines are ranked 15th in the country, while the Trojans dropped out after a loss to Illinois.
USC is 4-1, though. The Trojans are 2-1 in the Big Ten. 4-1 overall. They need this game probably even more than Michigan does. If USC beats Michigan, it will be in the playoff picture.
Lose to the Wolverines, and the Trojans' backs will already be against the wall. The same can be said for Michigan football, which likely needs to go 10-2 to make the College Football Playoff.
Michigan knocked off USC 27-24 last season in the Big House, thanks to the heroics of Kalel Mullings. U-M could barely throw the ball. Now, the Wolverines have Bryce Underwood, plus what could be the best running back in college football this season, Justice Haynes, who has rushed for over 100 yards in each of his first five games as a Wolverine.
Final odds for Michigan vs. USC
The Wolverines are still a 2.5-point underdog, according to Vegas Oddsmakers. The over/under is 56.5 points. the moneyline for Michigan is +120. It's -142 for USC.
Michigan vs. USC predictions
We predicted Michigan football to beat the Trojans on Friday. Joel Klatt also predicted a win for the Wolverines earlier this week, and was joined by most of the crew from ESPN's College Gameday.
Four of the six analysts picked the Wolverines including Desmond Howard and Nick Saban. Sabrina Ionescu, the celebrity guest picker, and WNBA superstar, picked USC, along with Rece Davis.
The crew over at The Wolverine.com are split in their predictions. So the predictions don't heavily favor Michigan. It's close, just like the game should be Saturday night.