Sherrone Moore addresses how Michigan avoids season turning south after west coast travel like 2024

Michigan travels to the West Coast for its Big Ten Conference matchup against USC. It’ll be the Wolverines’ only trip to the pacific time zone during the 2025 regular season.

Last season’s trip out west didn’t go in Michigan’s favor, however. They lost at Washington following a 4-1 start to the season. That loss kicked off a stretch that saw the Wolverines lose four of its next five games. Before the teams heads off the LA, head coach Sherrone Moore revealed one scheduling detail that’s going to be different this time around.

“I think the first one we’re doing different here is traveling, just the first thing is traveling on Thursday. But this is a different team, I think, with a different mindset and different focus,” Moore said.

“And we understand we’re in the second quarter of the season, and all we got to do is take care of today. Can’t even worry about the game yet, we got to worry about what today brings and how are we going to get better today. So I think that team is different from the one that we got now.”

Michigan is once again 4-1 heading off to the west coast, and has potential to play a playoff team as the No. 15-ranked team in the country in this week’s AP Top 25 poll. However, one loss could derail that.

Against a 4-1 USC team whose only loss is by two points to a ranked Illinois team, the Wolverines will have their work cut out for them this weekend. That’s why Moore has decided to get his group there early so that his players can get acclimated to their new environment.

“Flying dehydrates you, that’s one thing. And then you have to recover a little bit more. So I think it’s just different atmospheres, not necessarily just being away, “Moore continued.

“So I think it’s just a challenge you have to attack, because if you go to the NFL, you’ve got to do the same thing. … You can’t make those things an excuse, you just got to go attack them and figure out ways to get better with it. So that’s why we’re flying out Thursday to hopefully have a better grasp on — try to make that like it’s Ann Arbor over there.”

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, so the Wolverines will have roughly 48 hours to get themselves adjusted to the time change and ready for their only West Coast game of the year. Fans can watch the game live on NBC.