Notre Dame Football: 5 reasons Irish will handle USC

Momentum in Notre Dame’s favor

These two teams couldn’t have had a more different experience in the week prior to this upcoming matchup. Notre Dame had a home game. USC played away. The Irish faced a talented, ranked opponent with a winning record. The Trojans took on a struggling team who was 2-8. Notre Dame, absolutely dominated their opposition in all areas of the game. USC lost embarrassingly to their cross town rival.

Notre Dame defeated the, then ranked No. 12, Syracuse Orange, 36-3. Syracuse’s only points came off a last-second, short field goal in order to avoid being completely shut out. The Irish have had a few questionable performances this year, which led to doubts about their consistency. However, this impressive win over Syracuse eliminates all doubt that Notre Dame has the capability to play at the level of a playoff team.

The USC Trojans are experiencing the opposite emotions of Notre Dame in the sense that they are coming off a disappointing loss against their true rival. The Trojans have now lost two straight games against less talented conference opponents. Coming into Saturday’s game, the Irish will clearly have the momentum.