No. 21 Notre Dame meets No. 10 USC on Saturday night as one of the more heated rivalries in college football takes a prime time slot on the biggest stage. The Fighting Irish are no strangers to the spotlight this season, though this game serves as maybe the most important to this point as they look to bounce back and keep New Year’s Six hopes alive. This is Notre Dame’s first home game since the Ohio State loss, and it’s looking to avoid losing consecutive contests in South Bend, Indiana, for the first time since 2016. The Fighting Irish have gone 39-5 at home since.
The Trojans, meanwhile, are likely hoping they aren’t forced to dodge another bullet. This will be the toughest test of the season thus far. The Trojans haven’t lost a game but needed triple-overtime to get past Arizona last week, and they haven’t looked dominant against Power Five competition. They did end a four-game losing streak to the Irish in Los Angeles last season but have lost their last five trips to Notre Dame Stadium.
Follow along with LIVE updates from South Bend, Indiana, as USC takes on Notre Dame.
Notre Dame vs. USC: Need to know
Caleb Williams is still Caleb Williams: In a lot of ways, Williams has been better than the guy who won the Heisman Trophy last season. He leads the nation in passing efficiency at 205.71 and averages 10.9 yards per attempt with 22 touchdowns to only one interception. He’s also been effective as a scrambler when needed, rushing for 124 yards and six touchdowns. There is no tougher player to defend in college football. His ability to extend plays in the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield and find open targets is unparalleled.
Notre Dame’s offense has gone missing: The Sam Hartman Era got off to an incredible start. Through the first four games of the season, Notre Dame averaged 46 points per game. The number has plummeted to 18.3 points in their last three games. Of course, the competition has been much more difficult. Still, it’s nowhere near good enough to compete with the top teams. It doesn’t matter how good the Irish defense is, they aren’t beating USC with 18 points.
This is a great matchup of running backs: While Caleb Williams and Sam Hartman will get plenty of attention, both have excellent options available to turn around and hand the ball to. Notre Dame’s Audric Estime had a tough time last week against Louisville (20 yards on 10 carries) but still ranks third nationally with 692 yards rushing on the season. Then there’s USC’s MarShawn Lloyd, who may not have the volume of Estime but is nevertheless a big-play threat. Lloyd has rushed for 519 yards this year and is averaging 7.8 yards per carry. He’s one of only five FBS players to rush for at least 500 yards while averaging more than 7.5 yards per carry this year.
How to watch Notre Dame vs. USC live
Date: Saturday, October 14 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Notre Dame Stadium — South Bend, Indiana
TV: NBC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Notre Dame vs. USC prediction, picks
Odds via SportsLine consensus
The weather forecast for this game is important. It’s expected to be cold, wet and windy when these two get underway Saturday night. Those typically aren’t the kind of weather conditions that make for high-scoring affairs. It’ll be interesting to see if USC is forced to lean on its ground game more than usual and whether that impacts its ability to move the ball. Combined with Notre Dame’s tendency to get conservative in big spots, that makes me think the smartest play for this one is the under. Pick: Under 60.5
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