Around CFB: Wolverines, Trojans trade San Gabriels for B1G House

There will be no roses.

No parade. No iconic setting.

That is unless you think a big hole dug in the ground is the equivalent of the San Gabriel Mountains.

A football clash between USC and Michigan is supposed to occur in early January, not late September.

But this is what conference realignment has wrought: USC making a trip to Ann Arbor in a Big Ten conference game.

We knew for two years this was coming, but it just doesn’t seem right.

No. 11 USC and No. 18 Michigan have squared off 10 times before. Eight of those were in the Rose Bowl. USC last traveled to Ann Arbor in 1958. Michigan won, 20-19.

USC has won the three most recent encounters — all in the Rose Bowl.

Now, two of the bluest blue blood programs vie in the first conference game, matching one of the four Pac-12 evacuees and an original Big Ten inhabitant.

The significance is not lost on USC coach Lincoln Riley.

“I don’t think you can ignore it: It’s a big game,” Riley said earlier this week on his radio program. “It is for a lot of reasons. Any year, it would be a big game, but you go, first Big Ten matchup, you’re taking arguably the two most iconic brands in the conference and two of the most iconic brands in the sport, and you pair them up together.

“I think it’s probably fitting that we’re doing it at their place, being that they’ve obviously been in the Big Ten forever. So it’s cool, man. It’s cool. It’s a great opportunity.”

It is indeed an opportunity for both teams.

For the visiting Trojans, it’s an opportunity to show their season-opening 27-20 victory over LSU wasn’t a fluke.

For the Wolverines, it’s an opportunity to show they aren’t as bad as they looked in a Week 2 31-12 loss to Texas.

That may start with Michigan coach Sherrone Moore opting to start junior Alex Orji at quarterback over Davis Warren, who has thrown two touchdown passes and six interceptions.

“He's been in here studying his tail off the past couple days like he always is, but you can see it ramped up even more," Moore said of Orji, a product of Sachse, Texas. "… I'm not going to give you all the keys to the castle, but we have a plan in place for Alex and are ready to put it on display.

“We've got it all installed. The offense is ready to go for him, and we've got everything adjusted for him and his skill set.”

Orji, considered the best athlete on Michigan’s roster, could give the Wolverine offense a much-needed boost.

But they need better play from the defense, which is ranked 54th in the nation and was grossly disappointing in the loss to Texas.

Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Members of the Pac-12 for 102 years, Saturday will be USC’s first Big Ten game. The LA Memorial Coliseum will host its first B1G game on Sept. 28 vs. Wisconsin.

The Wolverines gave up 246 passing yards and three passing touchdowns to Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers. They figure to be severely tested again by USC’s Miller Moss, who threw for 378 yards and a touchdown in the win over LSU.

But dealing with Michigan’s defense could be much more difficult than LSU’s. The Trojans must show they can handle the more physical style of football traditionally played in the Big Ten.

“I feel great about our opportunity to go handle it well, but it’ll take all we got to go handle it well — there’s no question about it,” Riley said. “Both this team [Michigan] and certainly throughout the rest of the league, there are a lot of really good teams in this league, a lot of really good teams on our schedule, a lot of teams that are really strong up front on both sides of the ball.

“So we’re gonna get challenged there week after week, and we gotta be ready to rise up to the challenge.”

Heisman Watch (If my ballot was due today)

1. Cam Ward, Miami, QB: The product of West Columbia, Texas, continues to play at an elite level. Last week, he posted his third consecutive 300-yard passing game. He completed 19-of-28 passes for 346 yards and five touchdowns in a 62-0 destruction of Ball State. Ward leads the nation with 11 touchdown passes. He’s second nationally with 1,035 passing yards.

2. Quinn Ewers, Texas, QB: Maybe it’s unfair, but an injury can derail a Heisman campaign. Ask Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker or Oregon’s Dennis Dixon. Ewers' abdominal injury could damage his campaign as the season goes on. But as of now, he’s still a strong candidate. Ewers completed 14-of-16 passes for 185 yards before his injury in last week’s 56-7 blowout of UTSA. Overall, he has passed for 691 yards and eight touchdowns.

3. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State, RB: Although the Broncos were idle last week, Jeanty still has the nation’s second-highest rushing total with 459 yards. He also leads the nation with nine rushing touchdowns. He averages 10.2 yards per carry and already has scored on three runs of 70 yards or more.

Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard

After leading Oregon to a Civil War win over Oregon State, Dillon Gabriel’s Ducks are ranked No. 9 in the latest AP poll.

4. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon, QB: Last week, Gabriel completed 20-of-24 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns in a 49-14 victory over Oregon State. He also had a 54-yard touchdown run. Through three games, Gabriel has the nation’s highest completion percentage at 84 percent. He has passed for 914 yards and six touchdowns.

5. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss, QB: True, Ole Miss hasn’t yet played a decent opponent. The Rebels’ three games are against teams that are a combined 3-6, but Dart has done what good quarterbacks are supposed to do vs. inferior opponents. He has dominated. Dart has thrown for at least 377 yards in every game. Last week, he had 377 passing yards and two touchdowns in a 40-6 blasting of Wake Forest. He also ran for a touchdown. Thus far, he’s leading the nation with 1,172 passing yards. He has thrown eight touchdown passes and has rushed for three.

Games to Watch

No. 6 Tennessee at No. 15 Oklahoma: Even though Oklahoma has been less-than-impressive in wins over Houston and Tulane, the Sooners are still the best opponent Tennessee will have faced so far.

No. 11 USC at No. 18 Michigan: The first Big Ten conference matchup between two storied programs. They’ve met eight times previously in the Rose Bowl.

No. 24 Illinois at No. 22 Nebraska: How times change. Last year, this was a matchup of teams that tied for last place in the Big Ten West.

No. 12 Utah at No. 14 Oklahoma State: Both are ranked among the nation’s top 30 in scoring. The winner figures to already have an inside track to the Big 12 Championship Game.

No. 13 Kansas State at BYU: Wildcats could be walking into a trap between beating then-No. 20 Arizona last week and facing No. 14 Oklahoma State next week. BYU is unbeaten, and trips to Provo can be perilous.