Michigan Wolverines vs. USC Trojans, Picks and Prediction, Saturday, October 11, 2025
Use Code WWWC The #15 Michigan Wolverines (4-1) and the USC Trojans meet in a prime time matchup on Saturday night in the Big Ten in this Michigan vs. USC prediction. These teams met last season, with Michigan winning by three at home. The Wolverines are coming off a 24-10 home win over Wisconsin, missing the cover as 17.5-point favorites. USC just had a bye week after losing 34-32 on the road in Illinois as 6.5-point favorites. Kickoff is set for 7:30 EST and can be found on NBC. See below for our Michigan vs. USC prediction, and check out all of our best NCAAF Predictions!
Michigan Wins Three Straight
The Michigan Wolverines are slowly climbing their way back up the rankings, as they have won in each of their last three outings. Their loss came earlier in the season against #18 Oklahoma, when they lost by 11 on the road in the second week of the season. The Wolverines picked up Big Ten wins in each of their last two weeks, narrowly defeating Nebraska by three on the road before taking care of business at home last week against Wisconsin. In the game against the Badgers, Bryce Underwood passed for 270 yards and a touchdown in the win.
Underwood is one of the best young quarterbacks in the nation and has taken over this offense as a true freshman. He has great size at 6'4 and 230 pounds, with a cannon of an arm. He has 1,003 yards on the season, but has only thrown for three touchdown passes with one interception. He is a capable runner, with 181 yards on the ground and another three touchdowns. Their top threat out of the backfield is Justice Haynes, who ran for over 400 yards last season with Alabama, but has already gone for 654 yards over five games in his start with Michigan. Haynes has topped 100 yards in every game this season.
Donoven McCulley is a big target on the outside at 6'5; he leads the team with 309 yards on 19 catches and one touchdown. Semaj Morgan is their speed receiver, the 5'10 junior has 187 yards and a touchdown. Their defense has 15 sacks and seven interceptions so far, with linebacker Cole Sullivan leading the way with two picks and two interceptions.
Get Free $30 Credit for Premium Picks + Exclusive Discounts
Subscribe Now
Trojans Fall from the Polls
The USC Trojans were hanging around the bottom of the Top 25 poll over recent weeks, but fell out of the list after taking their first loss, followed by their bye week. USC beat Purdue and Michigan State, but lost once they faced their first-ranked opponent in #23 Illinois. They only lost by two, and will have a chance to prove themselves with Michigan here, and #16 Notre Dame waiting next week. In their loss to Illinois, Jayden Maiava passed for 364 yards and two touchdowns in the two-point loss.
The Trojans still have a date on the road against Oregon later in the season, so the College Football Playoff is still in the mix. They will need Maiava to continue to put up strong numbers as the 6'4 junior out of Hawaii has a strong 11-1 TD-INT ratio to start the year. He has passed for 1,587 yards and has a 70.5% completion rate. He only looks to run out of necessity, as he has just 57 rushing yards on the season. Their top running back is junior Waymond Jordan, he has 537 yards and five touchdowns so far, and ran for 157 yards in their win over Michigan State.
Makai Lemon is in his third season with the team as a 5'11 receiver. He had 764 receiving yards last season and is on pace to top that number with 589 yards through his first five games this season while adding five touchdowns. Lake McRee is a big target at 6'4 and 250 pounds. The tight end has 248 yards and a touchdown. Their defense has 17 sacks and six interceptions so far, with Bishop Fitzgerald grabbing three interceptions from the safety spot.
Michigan vs. USC Prediction and Picks
Spread Pick for Michigan vs. USC
- USC -2.5 (5 units)
The Trojans are small favorites here despite being an unranked team going against the 15th-ranked Wolverines. This shows you what Vegas thinks of this matchup, and I will side with the team with the veteran quarterback who is trying to lead his team back into CFP conversations. Maiava has been solid for USC so far; he has over 500 more passing yards than Underwood and has seen action in college football in each of the past three seasons. Underwood is a true freshman who now must travel across the country to take on the Trojans on the road in a nationally televised game. The lights will be too bright for Underwood, and USC's defense already has 17 sacks on the year. The Trojans get the win and cover here.
Take USC to win and cover.
Over/Under Pick for Michigan vs. USC
- Under 55.5
This number is set for too high for this matchup, and the game will stay comfortably under the total. Michigan is not going to be airing the ball out in this one. This is going to be Underwood's biggest test of his college career as he travels to USC for this NBC game, and the coaching staff will look to protect their true freshman. Haynes already has 654 yards on the ground for the Wolverines, they give him the ball as much as possible which keeps the clock running. USC will put pressure on Underwood in passing scenarios, and will play their own version of conservative football if they get an early lead.
Take the under.
Betting on College Football?
- Bet with other College Football fans at the best sportsbooks
- Sign up today and get started with the latest college football sportsbook promos
Up To $1500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back if your First Bet Does Not Win
New Users – Bet $5 Get $200 in Bet Reset Tokens for 5 Days
