The Wolverines will not hold anything back in their first-ever Big Ten matchup against Lincoln Riley’s Trojans. According to the announcement by the ninth-ranked overall Michigan football program in the 2024-2025 preseason AP Top 25 rankings, it has designed its plans for the preparation process to host new Big Ten member USC at the Big House in Ann Arbor on September 21.
On Thursday, Michigan’s athletic department announced plans for a record-setting “stripe out” against the Trojans, which will display maize and blue stripes on the biggest stadium in the United States.
The Wolverines are fresh off a perfect 15-0 season and culminated with the program’s first national championship since 1997-1998. USC football, who sat 23rd in the 2024-2025 preseason AP Poll, is looking to rebound from an 8-5 season.
It won’t be until USC faces Michigan’s sterling defense, spearheaded by preseason All-Americans Will Johnson and Mason Graham, that its powerhouse offense really gets its first worthy challenge of the season. Defensively, USC ranked 121st nationally in total defense last year. Michigan happens to be No. 1 in that category.
