PASADENA, Calif. - All this talk about a split national championship has left the Michigan Wolverines feeling a bit slighted.

They know that the only way No. 1 Southern California can stake a claim to the title is by beating fourth-ranked Michigan in the Rose Bowl on Thursday.

"We take it personally," Wolverines receiver Braylon Edwards said Sunday. "I understand that a lot of people don't give us a chance to beat USC. They think it will be a cakewalk and we were lucky to be in this game. We're out to get some respect."

That will be a theme all week at the Rose Bowl, with USC trying to prove that its poll ranking is deserved and Michigan trying to show that a split title isn't a done deal.

The Trojans are in good position to finish atop the AP poll with a win against the Wolverines because the top team has never fallen after winning its bowl game.

But USC has no shot at the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll, which is obligated to make the winner of the Sugar Bowl between second-ranked LSU and third-ranked Oklahoma its No. 1 team.

That sets up the possibility of college football's 11th split national championship - something that was supposed to be eliminated when the BCS started in 1998.

"After playing 15 weeks you don't want to share the championship with anybody," USC defensive lineman Kenechi Udeze said. "I'm a firm believer that the championship should be decided on the field."

When the game starts, the talk of the BCS and split titles will be overshadowed by the matchup between two of the most high-powered offenses in the nation.

Led by efficient quarterback Matt Leinart and game-breaking receiver Mike Williams, USC has topped 40 points in seven straight games and is sixth in the nation in scoring at 42.2 points per game.

Michigan has a similar offense led by quarterback John Navarre, Heisman finalist running back Chris Perry and a deep receiving corps. The Wolverines have scored at least 27 points every game this year and are ninth in the country in scoring at 37.2 points per game.