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Notre Dame Football: 5 reasons the Irish will beat USC in Week 8

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - SEPTEMBER 23: Brandon Wimbush #7 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs for a touchdown during the first quarter of the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium on September 23, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - SEPTEMBER 23: Brandon Wimbush #7 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs for a touchdown during the first quarter of the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium on September 23, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame football is coming off a bye and the USC Trojans are next up on the schedule. Here’s why the Irish will beat the Trojans in Week 8.

Coming into the season, no one truly knew what to expect from Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish were coming off a 4-8 season and losing star quarterback DeShone Kizer to the NFL. Moreover, Brian Kelly was sitting squarely on the hot seat after failing to deliver a solid record and missing a bowl game in 2016.

Fortunately, the Irish have exceeded expectations and even the number of wins they had in all of 2016 in just six games. The Independent is 5-1 with a single loss against a red-hot Georgia team, now ranked No. 3 in the nation, at home by just a point. Imagine that game going in Notre Dame’s favor — we might be talking about the Irish as the No. 3 team.

Ranked No. 13 and heading into a big game against No. 11 USC on Saturday night, the Fighting Irish are looking to prove themselves worthy of a top-10 spot. The playoff rankings will be released soon and the Irish are hoping to crack the first edition near the top.

Let’s take a look at five reasons I believe the Irish will take down USC on Saturday.

5. Home-field advantage

This is a much larger advantage than people truly give it credit for in college football. Notre Dame will be taking advantage home-field on Saturday night as South Bend will be rocking. The Irish are usually good on their own turf, with the exception of last season, and it nearly led to a victory over the now-No. 3 team in college football.

The Trojans come in lacking the confidence they had before the season began. This team has been pushed to its limit each week and is coming off a mentally-taxing win over Utah at The Coliseum.

Notre Dame is 2-1 at home this season with a couple of blowout wins against lesser teams and a one-point loss against Georgia. Under the lights in South Bend against the No. 11 team with a chance to move into that top-10 conversation, Notre Dame fans will be out in full force and USC’s shakiness on the road will continue.

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