Top 15 Non-Conference College Football Games to Watch This Year

Nov 29, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans head coach Steve Sarkisian and Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly shake hands after USC defeated Notre Dame 49-14 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

5. USC Trojans at Notre Dame Fighting Irish; Saturday, Oct. 17

Here is another rivalry and revenge game, and potentially one with national title implications.

A 49-14 loss to the USC Trojans at the end of last year does not send off a signal that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish could make this year’s game interesting, particularly when USC got better.

But the Trojans did lose a good amount of talent, and Notre Dame got better as well. So with that, and with this game being played at home, the Fighting Irish can make this a contest. USC is definitely going to be a national championship contender throughout much of the season next year.

Notre Dame could be that, which makes this game much more interesting. The game is in mid-October, which means that they could both still be in the hunt if they do get into the conversation to add a ton of hype behind this game. Remember the Reggie Bush push game in 2005?

Well, this could have similar hype.

Last year, Steve Sarkisian beat Brian Kelly in every way possible. But this year, even without Everett Golson, Kelly has talent and more experience to work with. Things could change.

Next: #4: Alabama vs. Wisconsin