USC Trojans vs Michigan Wolverines Prediction, Odds and Picks for Saturday, 09/21/24

I’m a bit higher than the market on USC heading into this season, and I’m also lower than most on Michigan’s prospects this fall. Fittingly, I’ll be taking USC in the Game of the Year market to go into Ann Arbor and give the Wolverines a real scare in this early-season Big Ten clash. We know that the Trojans are going to have a very strong offense, as is the case every year with a Lincoln Riley-led team.

The difference for USC this season lies with the defensive side of the ball, as D’Anton Lynn comes over from UCLA to take over defensive coordinator duties. If Lynn is able to improve this defense in year 1, the upside is there for a team this talented. It helps that Michigan could be alternating between Alex Orji and Jack Tuttle at quarterback, neither of whom have proven to be consistently effective at the position. Additionally, USC will be coming off a bye heading into this contest, so I’ll trust Riley and Lynn to scheme up a gameplan to keep this one close.