USC vs. Notre Dame: TV info, betting odds, and expert predictions
The sixth-ranked USC Trojans (10-1, 8-1 Pac-12) welcome the 15th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-3) to the L.A. Coliseum Saturday evening for another chapter in one of college football’s most storied rivalries.
Notre Dame has won each of the last four meetings with USC, the program’s longest streak over the Trojans since winning 11 in a row from 1983-93.
But it’s a new era at USC. Coach Lincoln Riley has ushered in one of the best offenses in the country and in recent program history in his first year at USC.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams is in the running to be a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. In last week’s 48-45 win over UCLA, Williams put up a career-high 470 yards through the air. This season, Williams has produced 40 total touchdowns (33 pass, 7 rush) in 11 games. That’s tied for the most by any player at the FBS level entering the week.
Notre Dame defensive end Isaiah Foskey will look to get after Williams. He has 5.5 sacks in his last five games and recently became the school’s career sacks leader (25). Notre Dame has given up just 17.8 points a game in its last six.
Here’s everything you need to know for the game.
TV info and kickoff time
Kickoff time: 4:30 p.m. PT
TV network: ABC; fans can also watch the game live on WatchESPN with a cable or satellite provider login
Location: L.A. Coliseum, Los Angeles
Betting odds
Line: USC -4.5
Total: 63.5
Money line: USC -192, Notre Dame +158
Expert predictions
ESPN’s FPI gives the Trojans a 65.8% chance of beating the Irish.
Bill Connelly’s SP+ is calling for a 36-25 USC win, writing this on the game:
Granted, at 32nd in defensive SP+, Notre Dame’s is one of the best defenses — and maybe the best pass defense — the Trojans have faced, but the Trojans’ offense seems to get better every single week, and while the Irish have won five games in a row, they’ve done so against teams with an average offensive ranking of 78.4. They’re poor at defending the red zone, and, well, USC is going to make red zone trips against anyone. If USC can disrupt Notre Dame’s efficiency offense a bit and score TDs instead of field goals, things could get out of the Irish’s reach.
USCFootball.com’s Ryan Abraham picked USC to cover the spread:
I simply cannot get past the fact that Notre Dame lost to Stanford. Trojans by a million. Or like 7. But I think Caleb Williams and company will score a bunch of points, the USC defense will give up rushing yards but the Irish won’t be able to keep up with the Trojans.
Irish Illustrated’s Tim O’Malley picked Notre Dame to win 38-37:
Look for an outstanding performance on both lines of scrimmage by Notre Dame with two running backs exceeding 80 yards on the ground (and the third producing as well), but for Williams and fellows transfers Jordan Addison, Mario Williams, and Tahj Washington to get theirs in a high-scoring second half.