LOS ANGELES — Typically as we write this, Michigan football is en route to the airport. Not this week.

The 15th-ranked Wolverines arrived in sunny southern California late Thursday, a full day earlier than usual , ahead of their Saturday afternoon showdown with USC (7:30 p.m. ET, 4:30 p.m. local, NBC). The hope, head coach Sherrone Moore said this week, was to avoid a slow start that helped plague Michigan last year at Washington. Whether that ultimately made the difference is up for debate, but we digress.

Like last year, Michigan is 4-1 and 2-0 in Big Ten play ahead of its West Coast trip, but the team is feeling better about itself this time around. And healthier.

The Wolverines are expecting to have offensive linemen Giovanni El-Hadi and Brady Norton back and at their disposal thi

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