Michigan, after wins against Nebraska and Wisconsin, is 4-1 so far and faces USC in Week 7 at the Coliseum. The predictions didn’t quite favor the Wolverines, ranking them a 2.5-point underdog, but still predicting a tense game. The home advantage for USC is playing its part, apart from Jayden Maiava’s prolific season so far. However, Fox analyst Joel Klatt has gone against the predictions, and his reasons are interesting.

Just like Michigan, the Trojans, too, are 4-1 this season with their sole loss coming against Bret Bielema’s Illinois in Week 6. However, Jayden Maiava has been exceptional so far, passing for 1,587 yards at an impressive 70.5% efficiency. Moreover, the running game, too, for the Trojans is remarkable, as the team has accumulated 1,135 yards so far and sits 17th nationally in rushing offense. Michigan, on the other hand, is relying on its ground-and-pound style, as Joel Klatt outlined.

“You’ve got one team that’s going to lean into the physical aspect of the game in Michigan, and another team that has really struggled in that aspect and USC has not dealt well with the physicality of the Big 10. And so, they’re going to lean into the skill and being able to throw the football,” said Joel Klatt in his recent podcast episode. Moreover, after Michigan, USC has Notre Dame to face, who is hungry for a big win after losses against Miami and Texas A&M. That could potentially be detrimental for USC. However, the major issue would still be USC’s lack of physicality.

“If USC just tries to lean on the pass game, that hasn’t worked for them in the past. They need to run it with Waymond Jordan. They need to be more physical with their defense, and the evidence suggests that’s not available to them because we haven’t seen it…Therefore, I’ve got to take the more physical team even on the road, getting two and a half. I like Michigan in this game. They get the two and a half. I’ll take it. I’ll take them to win this one straight up 27-24,” announced Joel Klatt.

USC’s run game isn’t weak this season, and RB Waymond Jordan has already rushed for 537 yards. Another USC RB, Eli Sanders, has accumulated 264 rushing yards, too, but we haven’t seen the same performances againt big teams. For instance, against Illinois, Lincoln Riley, owing to the Fighting Illini’s D line, turned to a more pass-heavy game (364 passing yards), although Waymond Jordan still rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Of course, USC can surely capitalize on its passing game, as it is ranked 2nd nationally. But the D line for Michigan is another story and will make life hard for Jayden Maiava.

Michigan’s D-line coach chalks out a plan to limit Jayden Maiava

Michigan has veterans like Ernest Hausmann, Jimmy Rolder, Derrick Moore, and TJ Guy in the D line, performing exceptionally so far. For instance, Michigan ranks 19th nationally in total sacks, with 15 sacks so far, whereas the rushing defense for Michigan is 7th-ranked nationally. Trojans, on the contrary, have a relatively weak run defense, ranked 29th in the country, when they haven’t faced any major team except Illinois. Considering that, Michigan’s D-line coach has a plan.

“We have to make the quarterback feel uncomfortable, and I think that’s every game, right? You’re physical at the point of attack. You want to shut the run down, and then you want to get after the quarterback, and I think that’s what we have to do to be successful versus this team. For us to win in the trenches, we’ve got to be physical at the point of attack. You’ve got to make them one-dimensional,” said Michigan’s D line coach Lou Esposito. The verdict?

Michigan’s run-heavy and physical offense, in contrast to Lincoln Riley’s air raid offense with RPO elements, will bring out a big game this Week. Last year, the Trojans lost against Michigan 24-27, as Michigan rushed a whopping 290 yards. That explains why Joel Klatt picked Michigan. Moreover, the battle of the trenches could also be lopsided towards Michigan, since center Kilian O’Connor still has questions on his return, along with left tackle Elijah Paige. That would leave freshman Aaron Dunn at left tackle, making things complicated for the Trojans.