USC vs. Notre Dame Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Caleb Williams Find Success vs. Notre Dame's Defense?
USC vs. Notre Dame Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Caleb Williams Find Success vs. Notre Dame's Defense?
The USC Trojans won't be finishing the regular season in the Pac12. Instead, they'll have Notre Dame come to town for a top-25-ranked matchup. The Trojans still have a chance at making the College Football Playoff. They'll need to win and need TCU and LSU to lose a game. Either way, this game matters for USC despite being a non-conference matchup.
Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish have some abysmal losses and some massive wins. Recently, they've been on a tear, with five straight wins, including against Clemson and Syracuse. Will Notre Dame's defense be the first to shut down USC's offense?
Here are our picks, predictions, and odds for Saturday's game between the USC Trojans vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
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USC vs. Notre Dame Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds
- Date: November 26, 2022
- Game Time: 7:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch: ABC
USC vs. Notre Dame Odds
- Spread: USC -5.5 (-110), Notre Dame +5.5 (-110)
- Total Odds: O/U 62.5 (-110)
- Moneyline Odds: USC (-220), Notre Dame (+180)
Click here for USC vs. Notre Dame odds
USC vs. Notre Dame Injury Report
Notre Dame
Questionable: S Brandon Joseph (Ankle), WR Tobias Merriweather (Concussion)
USC
Out: RB Travis Dye (Knee)
USC Trojans vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Prediction
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have ruined multiple seasons this year. Yes, including theirs. But they also took down No. 4 Clemson earlier this year, along with No. 16 Syracuse. Notre Dame will now look to crush USC's dream of earning a College Football Playoff bid on Saturday. The Fighting Irish have been red hot recently, winning five straight games.
Drew Pyne has thrown for 19 touchdowns and five interceptions since taking over at quarterback earlier this year. The offense has averaged 31 points per game while earning 380.4 yards. The passing game is getting better, but the run game has still earned more yards per game. Audric Estime has rushed for 11 touchdowns on 136 carries for 782 yards. He's averaged 5.8 yards per carry and has looked good behind a great offensive line in the run game.
Although Notre Dame struggled defensively against the Navy, the Fighting Irish are coming off a shutout performance against a beat-up Boston College offense. They also held Clemson to 14 points and Syracuse to 24 points earlier this season. The defense allowed 317.2 yards per game, with only 186.8 yards in the air. The defense isn't elite, but they've been very consistent in every area, including tackling, where they've minimized mistakes.
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On the other hand, USC has one of the best offenses in the nation. Caleb Williams is playing himself into the Heisman top-two with 33 touchdowns thrown and just three interceptions. He's thrown for nearly 3,500 yards and has USC averaging 42.9 points per game while earning 513 yards of offense. USC has thrown for 330.8 yards per game and rushed for 182.2 yards per game. But they won't have it easy against Notre Dame's defense. The Fighting Irish have allowed under 21 points per game this season.
Meanwhile, Travis Dye is out with a knee injury after scoring nine touchdowns as the lead running back. His absence will hurt this USC team, even with Austin Jones picking up the slack. USC's offense is elite, but the defense truly isn't. They've allowed 405 yards per game with over 26 points per game. USC allowed 45 points to UCLA in a 48-45 game. That's the difference. USC allowed 35 to California and 37 to Arizona. The defense can't hold up, while the Notre Dame defense can.
Although this game is in Los Angeles, Notre Dame's defense is more likely to earn more stops in this game. Back the Fighting Irish against the spread in a potential stunner.
USC Trojans vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Pick
- Notre Dame +5.5 (-110). Bet $100 to Collect $190.
Article Author
Jason grew up an avid sports fan. His passion for sports writing grew in high school and he developed a blog that was strictly for New York Sports. From his work, you will quickly realize that he loves looking at games from an analytical and numbers perspective and hopes to provide you with that same perspective in his articles.