No. 20 USC (5-1 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) at No. 13 Notre Dame (4-2)
When: 4:30 p.m. PT Saturday
Where: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
TV/radio: NBC (Ch. 4)/ESPN LA 710
Line: Notre Dame by 9.5
NOTABLE INJURIES
USC: OUT: RB Eli Sanders (knee), RB Waymond Jordan (ankle), CB Chasen Johnson (knee), K Caden Chittenden (undisclosed), DL Floyd Boucard (undisclosed); QUESTIONABLE: OL Kilian O’Connor (undisclosed), OL Elijah Paige (undisclosed), CB Prophet Brown (undisclosed).
Notre Dame: OUT: DL Gabriel Rubio (elbow), WR Micah Gilbert (hand), OL Peter Jones (ankle), OL Charles Jagusah (arm), OL Ashton Craig (knee), RB Kedren Young (knee), S Brandon Logan (shoulder), RB Dylan Devezin (shoulder); QUESTIONABLE: OL Will Black (undisclosed), CB DeVonta Smith (calf), WR Jaden Greathouse (thigh), TE Cooper Flanagan (Achilles).
What’s at stake? The stakes are high for both teams, but more so for Notre Dame. USC is the final ranked opponent on the schedule for the Fighting Irish, who front-loaded their season with teams like No. 2 Miami and No. 4 Texas A&M. Notre Dame lost to both, which makes this game a must-win if it wants to be considered for the College Football Playoff. The Trojans, on the other hand, are in the midst of a competitive stretch of games. They redeemed themselves from the Illinois loss by upsetting Michigan and gave themselves some breathing room in the race for the CFP. No. 8 Oregon is still on the schedule on Nov. 22 at Eugene – the penultimate week of the regular season and before the crosstown rivalry game with surprisingly upstart UCLA – but Nebraska and Iowa can’t be overlooked. Nor can Northwestern, for that matter, after upsetting Penn State. Beyond short-term implications, the USC-Notre Dame rivalry hangs in the balance. No deal has been announced to continue the game after the contract expires at the end of this season. The decision whether to renew the contract will make a loud statement about what the college football world values more: tradition or progress.
Who’s better? Notre Dame. But USC still has the chance to scheme up the Irish with its explosive offense. Receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane continue to make seemingly impossible grabs due to the quick release and accuracy of quarterback Jayden Maiava. Notre Dame has the edge in the run game with future pro Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, especially now that USC rushers Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders are out due to injury.
Matchup to watch: Lemon vs. Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore. Lemon has excelled in the slot this season with sure hands and a will to break through anything that gets in his way of the end zone. Moore is the best player in the Irish secondary with three interceptions and two pass breakups and will likely patrol the slot with hopes of giving Lemon some of his toughest one-on-one battles of the season.
USC wins if: We saw some effective disguises on offense and defense against Michigan that resulted in big plays, and the same could work against Notre Dame. Digging into the playbook may help the Trojans, but head coach Lincoln Riley said in a Zoom call Thursday that getting creative with healthy players to build depth is even more important.
Prediction: Notre Dame 35, USC 27. The Irish continue to pick up momentum and USC shows it can hang with some of the best.