Notre Dame Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2021 season

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Oct 12, 2019; South Bend, IN, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Kedon Slovis (9) throws in the third quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

An annual rivalry game awaits Notre Dame after a bye and while the Irish will have two weeks to prepare for this one, the Trojans might just catch them off guard.

Clay Helton’s seat is getting hot and this might be a must-win for the USC head coach so expect his Trojans to come out firing.

Kedon Slovis is one of the best quarterbacks in the country and he has an elite receiving corp to sling the ball around to. He’s going to have himself a big game against a normally-stingy defense, passing for about 350 yards and four touchdowns, really putting the offense on his back.

Notre Dame will answer most of the USC scores, but won’t have the most important response with time winding down late in the game. A late Tyler Buchner interception on a potential game-winning drive will seal it as the Irish fall short for the first time in 2021.

Final Score: USC 34, Notre Dame 30 (6-1)

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