College Football Betting: USC Trojans at Notre Dame Fighting Irish

By BetOnline October 10, 2019

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The USC-Notre Dame matchup is one of the bigger rivalries in college football but given that USC has fallen off in recent years and that the weekend has three other Top 25 matchups, this game has been a bit overshadowed. Notre Dame is expected to win comfortably here as USC enters having lost two of three. Can the Trojans surprise here or at least make a game of this?

USC TROJANS AT NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH
CFB ODDS: NOTRE DAME -10.5
CFB TOTAL: 59.5

WHY THE TROJANS WILL COVER THE SPREAD

The USC roster is a talented roster. They knocked off Utah when the Utes were ranked No. 10 in the country last month and they stomped Stanford earlier this year, although the Cardinal are not a very strong team this year. The roster doesn’t function well together as a whole but it still has high-end talent. It’s a poorly-coached, talented team.

USC is coming off an idle week in which it had a chance to rest and plan for this game and that should matter. It’s not that Clay Helton is some kind of schematic genius but the extra rest and preparation should help a team that’s typically unprepared and undisciplined. It’s also last call for Helton as if he can’t start winning games like this, he’s going to get fired. Players generally like Helton and they definitely played hard for him last year against Notre Dame, in what was a very close game from start to finish. This USC team is better than that.

Quarterback Kedon Slovis is back at quarterback for the Trojans and that should help an offense that’s 69th in points per game, 54th in yards per game and 48th on third downs. However, this is the most formidable opponent USC has faced this season, so we’re not sure how they’ll react. USC probably won’t be able to run the ball worth a lick against a run defense that’s giving up just 3.7 yards per carry. Can Slovis carry this team if they have to win through the air?

WHY THE FIGHTING IRISH WILL COVER THE SPREAD

The USC Trojans have talent, but Notre Dame has toughness. The Irish proved how tough they were when they played Georgia, one of the top four teams in the country, on the road and did not back down. Notre Dame had an elite defensive line last season, and that elite D-line is still in evidence this year. Notre Dame beat Virginia – top 20 team which is the second-best team in the ACC behind Clemson – due to three strip-sacks of Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins. Notre Dame created multiple turnovers which changed the flow of the game. The Irish sacked Perkins a total of eight times. Notre Dame can do similar damage to USC’s offensive line, and if it does, Notre Dame should run away with this game.

Notre Dame’s defense has allowed just two passing touchdowns all season long and is Top 20 in most categories. This feels like a really bad matchup for USC – especially since they’re on the road.

When the Irish have the ball, they can pound the rock against USC and break the Trojans’ will. USC gave up 193 rushing yards to Washington in their last game, 247 to Utah and 131 to BYU. If the Irish can run the ball, they’ll be in control of this game the entire way through.

TAKING A LOOK AT THE TOTAL

The USC offense is likely to get outplayed by the Notre Dame defense. It’s the toughest unit they’ve faced. On the other side of the ball, I expect Notre Dame to run the ball effectively and make this a shorter game as a result. Bet the under.