Saturday night marks the first Big Ten game for Michigan State football in 2025, and the Spartans are looking to prove all the doubters wrong after a 3-0 start, which has been overshadowed by poor defensive play and the toughest opponent thus far (Boston College) looking like a Group of Five team through three weeks.
Michigan State will have a chance to really shut the doubters up with a win at USC, but it won't be easy as the Trojans are one of the best offensive teams in the country.
In fact, USC had the nation's No. 1 total offense and No. 2 scoring offense heading into Week 4.
Here's what I want to see from the Spartans against this elite offensive attack.
1. A pass rush with a pulse
There's really no other way to say this: Michigan State's pass rush has been horrendous.
The Spartans have just two sacks over the past two games, and they both came against Youngstown State last weekend. That's not a good sign going up against a team that has given up just three sacks all year. That means that Michigan State needs to throw out the tape and start fresh. Michigan State needs to get after Jayden Maiava because if he sits back there all day, he's going to pick this team apart.
A pass rush, getting Maiava uncomfortable, will only help the rest of the defense do its job. It all starts up front.
2. Aidan Chiles with time
Speaking of starting up front, Michigan State's offensive line needs to dominate the line of scrimmage, and open some run lanes, but more importantly, it needs to keep Aidan Chiles upright and give him time to go through his reads.
The game has slowed down a ton for Chiles this season, and you can see that just based on his confidence in the pocket so far. If he gets time to throw, he's one of the best pure passers in the Big Ten. If he's rushed, he's more prone to mistakes. However, he has been much more effective on the run this season, and he may be able to mask the offensive line's shortcomings with his legs.
Let's hope that's not necessary on Saturday night, however. An upright Chiles with time to throw is going to carve up the USC secondary.
3. A dogfight
No one wants to see a blowout in Los Angeles on Saturday night, especially if we're staying up until basically Sunday morning to watch it. The line is at a hefty 19.5 points in favor of USC, and that just means that Michigan State is being given next to no chance in this one.
I think we all just want to see a good game that isn't over by halftime, and that shows a resilient Michigan State team that doesn't back down from a harsh road atmosphere.
Tough teams like Michigan State usually win dogfights. That's what I want to see.