USC head coach Lincoln Riley says Big Ten clash with Michigan is 'a historic game'

The No. 11 USC Trojans and defending national champion and No. 18 Michigan Wolverines cross paths on Saturday in Ann Arbor in what's both teams' first Big Ten game of the 2024 college football season. More notably, it's USC's first conference game as a member of the Big Ten, as they're one of four former Pac-12 schools in their debut season in the conference.

USC head coach Lincoln Riley has hammered home the landmark nature of the game to his team, which he expressed on Wednesday's edition of the "The Herd."  

"I think it would be a mistake to totally just discount that [the enormity of the matchup] and just say 'it's another game.' It's a historic game," Riley said. "I think it's not surprising that the Big Ten from a scheduling standpoint would put these two iconic teams and brands against each other on the field here early on in the season. I think understanding the significance about it, embracing that and understanding what a great opportunity it is for us to go get off to a great start."

USC and Michigan have faced each other 10 times, with the Trojans 6-4 in the all-time head-to-head. They last played in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day 2007, which saw USC win 32-18 behind 391 passing yards and four touchdowns from quarterback John David Booty, 205 receiving yards from Dwayne Jarrett and 2.5 sacks from Brian Cushing.

At present, this game features two teams that are going in opposite directions.

USC opened the season with a thrilling win against No. 16 LSU, followed by a 48-0 win over Utah State and then a bye week. Quarterback Miller Moss has been stellar thus far, totaling 607 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 160.0 passer rating, while completing 72.7% of his passes. 

The Trojans