Notre Dame Football: Ranking the top 5 moments from the 2010s

4. Notre Dame beats USC by 35

If prestigious bowl games and championship appearances are the pinnacle of college football, crushing a long-time college rival rounds out at second place. As for the Irish, such wins were few and far between over the course of an early-2000s stretch that saw eight straight wins for USC in as many years.

However, the commencement of Kelly’s tenure with Notre Dame marked the end of USC’s nearly decade-long dominance over the Irish. After defeating the Trojans in his first year as head coach, Kelly’s squad proceeded to split their following six games against USC. Despite restoring balance to the series, Notre Dame was still in search of a statement win over their rivals.

Relatively speaking, the Irish wouldn’t have to wait long for such an opportunity. A 2017 matchup with the Trojans resulted in a convincing 49-14 victory for Notre Dame, a win that would propel the Irish to a pair of victories in 2018 and 2019 as well.

Notre Dame’s 2017 win over USC (the two were ranked No. 13 and No. 11, respectively), was more than enough to place the Irish squarely in the College Football Playoff conversation, but a pair of losses to Miami and Stanford put Notre Dame’s national championship hopes to rest. Despite watching the season unravel late, Irish fans could take solace in the fact USC would again perceive Notre Dame as a threat.