Oddsmakers: Michigan football another underdog vs. USC

Michigan football will play another game this weekend as an underdog in the eyes of oddsmakers.

The 18th-ranked Wolverines are currently 6 1/2-point underdogs for their game Saturday vs. No. 11 Southern Cal (3:30 p.m., CBS). If that line holds, and it’s expected to, it will mark the first time since 2021 that Michigan plays two regular-season games as a betting underdog.

Most of the popular sportsbook operators list USC -6.5, including BetMGM, DraftKings and FanDuel. The consensus points total for the game is 46.5, though you could find 45.5 and 47.5 in the market at the time of this writing.

What’s this mean? Oddsmakers believe Michigan (2-1) could drop its Big Ten opener this weekend to a talented, high-powered USC team. The Trojans are coming in off a bye after a 2-0 start, with wins over LSU and Utah State. Quarterback Miller Moss has thrown for 607 yards and two touchdowns in both starts, completing nearly 73 percent of his throws while averaging 9.2 yards per attempt.

AP Top 25: A new No. 1 in college football, and Michigan drops again

The Wolverines scored their second win of the season on Saturday against Arkansas State, 28-18, but it came thanks to 301 rushing yards after starting quarterback Davis Warren was benched for throwing three interceptions. Michigan plans to reassess the quarterback role this week in practice, opening it up for Alex Orji to take the reins.

Saturday’s Michigan-USC matchup is set to open Big Ten play for both schools as part of the expanded, 18-team megaconference. The two schools have not met on the football field since the 2006 Rose Bowl, won by USC. In fact, the last seven meetings between the two programs have come at the Rose Bowl, stretching all the way back to 1969.

USC, also 2-0 against the spread this season, is making its first visit to Ann Arbor since 1958. The Wolverines are 0-3 against the spread this year.

• BETTING: Check out our guide to the best Michigan sportsbooks, where our team of sports betting experts has reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds for multiple sportsbooks.