USC and Michigan have surprised many people this season, but in different ways.

While the No. 11 Trojans’ (2-0) new-look defense has helped the team earn a commanding perfect record in two bouts, No. 18 Michigan (2-1) has not backed up its national championship campaign with much stability.

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While the Wolverines deserve some slack — they lost many notable contributors to the NFL this past offseason, including Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, quarterback J.J. McCarthy and all-time Michigan rushing touchdown leader running back Blake Corum — their highly anticipated title-defending season has taken a turn for the worse, as constant inconsistencies have plagued first-year Head Coach Sherrone Moore’s squad through three games.

“Everyone wants to write the story after a couple games into the season,” said USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley of Michigan’s suboptimal start in a press conference at practice Tuesday. “It’s a long season, that’s a good football team that we have a lot of respect for.”

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, USC had Week 3 off thanks to an early bye week, allowing the team to regenerate stamina in preparation for one of the most iconic stages in college football, the Big House, for its first-ever conference matchup as a Big Ten program.

Unlike the Wolverines, the Trojans have benefited from consistent play thus far, albeit in a smaller sample size. USC has developed a smooth run game led by redshirt senior running back Woody Marks, who leads the team in touchdowns and averages 85.5 yards per game.

Redshirt junior quarterback Miller Moss has appeared composed and comfortable through his first two regular season starts and has spread the ball around his multitude of targets. But Moss and the offense haven’t faced a true defensive test yet, as LSU (2-1) and Utah State University (1-2) rank 91st and 120th in FBS total defense, respectively. 

Michigan’s 19-point drubbing at the hands of Texas (3-0) might have portrayed the Wolverines’ defensive unit negatively, but one must critique its performance with a grain of salt as it faced the now No. 1 team in the country.

Although Michigan has played one more game than USC, the two teams are beside each other in the total defense ranks, placing 54th and 55th, respectively. The Wolverines have one more sack and interception than the Trojans and edge out USC in tackles for loss by three. 

On paper, both teams boast similar defensive figures, and feature game-changing players to lead the charge. Wolverines All-American junior defensive back Will Johnson is expected to be a first-round pick, already nabbing a pick-six on the season and hoping to shut down the Trojans’ array of pass-catchers.

“[Johnson] has played in a lot of big games,” Moss said. “A physical corner, obviously has really good knowledge of what they’re trying to do defensively.”

USC has seen newcomers shine on the defensive side so far, as the step-brother transfer duo of senior linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and redshirt senior safety Akili Arnold have combined for an interception and 21 tackles through two games, making waves in the all-new defensive program.

The Trojans’ defense will face a Michigan offense that has certainly seen better days. The current roster hasn’t been able to fill the massive shoes left by the aforementioned departures and has only scored 8 touchdowns in three games.

Moore has switched between fielding senior quarterback Davis Warren and junior quarterback Alex Orji, but neither has moved the needle. Warren is averaging two interceptions per game with a measly 35.3 QBR, and Orji has only thrown the ball six times for 15 yards so far. 

Moore announced that the athletic and mobile yet unproven Orji will start against USC — giving the 20-year-old a pressure-filled first career start in what should be one of Michigan’s most important games on its schedule.

“I’m not gonna sit here and guess why they made that choice, that’s their decision,” Riley said of the quarterback change. “We’ve got to be ready for everybody that they have.”

On top of the passing woes, senior running back Donovan Edwards — highly touted as Corum’s replacement” — doesn’t even lead Michigan in rushing yards this season, and his longest carry is just 12 yards.

A win for USC would mean a variety of things: a perfect start to Big Ten play, proven resilience in harsh road conditions and most importantly, a well-kept perfect record heading back home to play Wisconsin (2-1).

The Trojans shouldn’t underestimate the defending champs who will be feeding off the energy of over 100,000 fans trying to rattle Riley’s bunch. But riding high on two wins and coming off a rest week, USC’s mental strength will play a huge factor in tuning out the noise, especially for Moss, who has never started a road game.

“Just treating it like every other game, can’t look at it like it’s too big of a game or too little of a game,” said sophomore wide receiver Zachariah Branch. “It’s a great atmosphere out there.”

The Trojans are 6-4 all-time against the Wolverines, with the most recent matchup in 2007, a dominant Rose Bowl victory for USC.

Sporting a fresh Big Ten patch on its uniforms, USC will finally face an opponent that does the same. The Trojans and Wolverines will meet at Michigan Stadium on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in front of the loud and intimidating frenzy of Ann Arbor.