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

3. Brandon Wimbush will keep USC’s defense guessing

When you talk about best athletes in college football, guys like Lamar Jackson and Derwin James come to mind. Shortly after that top-tier list, Brandon Wimbush’s name should pop up. He’s one of the best dual-threats out there, even if his arm could use a little work.

For teams that have faced Wimbush this year, the overwhelming opinion on the quarterback is that he can flat-out burn you with his legs. In fact, he’s rushed for 402 yards and eight touchdowns while passing for 783 yards and six more scores. He’s also only thrown two interceptions.

Unfortunately, he missed the Irish’s last game against North Carolina, but the bye week should have rested him up enough to face USC. The Trojans have the 67th-ranked defense in the country, so Wimbush has to be licking his chops at the opportunity to go off.

The Trojans’ defense won’t be able to contain Wimbush as he’s going to find the lanes early and often and he will be able to complete short passes to get his confidence up like he did against Michigan State. The Trojan defense will be caught guessing all afternoon, and that will spell upset in South Bend.