Notre Dame Football: Irish look to solidify playoff case vs. USC

USC looks to pull off an improbable upset against a Notre Dame football team primed for its first ever College Football Playoff berth.

Notre Dame and USC have a rich history, but the rivalry has lacked competitiveness over the past few years. This week’s matchup will continue a streak of consecutive games that began in 1946. The first ever meeting between these two programs ended in a Notre Dame victory over the Trojans in 1926.

Fast forward to today and the Irish currently hold a 45-36-5 series lead over USC. Each team has claimed two wins apart over the last four seasons, a testament to the spontaneity of the rivalry. However, all roads have led to these two programs meeting in a regular season finale that will undoubtedly be the biggest game of the year for each team.

Here’s how to watch the Irish face off against one of their greatest rivals on the biggest stage.

Date: Saturday, Nov. 24
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
Venue: Los Angeles Coliseum
TV: ABC
Live Stream: ABC Go, WatchESPN, or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

Notre Dame are the favorites in this game, so it’ll be important for them to stick to what works when it comes to taking down the Trojans. USC has deployed an underwhelming offensive line for the majority of the season, giving the Irish a clear path to victory should Jerry Tillery and the rest of the defensive line get things done like they have all year.

As with many underdogs, a lot will have to go right for the Trojans to pull off the upset at home. That starts with limiting turnovers, particularly those courtesy of quarterback JT Daniels. USC will be facing a Notre Dame team that has been playing confident in November for the first time in recent memory. They’ll need to establish the line of scrimmage early if they want a chance here.

Betting Odds

Odds provided by OddsShark

Point Spread: Notre Dame -11
Over/Under: 54

Prediction

While Notre Dame’s schedule hasn’t played out the way they would have expected it to heading into the 2018 season, they’ve handled each and every one of their opponents this season, often in commanding fashion. This is the greatest chance head coach Brian Kelly has had since 2012, so look for him and his squad to get it done in Los Angeles.

Final Score: Notre Dame 48, USC 13