Saturday, Nov. 30
3:30 p.m. Eastern, 12:30 p.m. Pacific
CBS
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have looked dominant for much of this 2024 season. They crushed Army and Navy. They have won by large margins in most of their recent games. The team which was struggling so markedly in September has given way to a far more efficient unit. Given that reality, it might seem that Notre Dame is headed for an easy win over a 6-5 USC team which has profoundly struggled this season. To be sure, there’s a scenario in which Notre Dame runs away with this game. The Irish could force turnovers from young USC starting quarterback Jayden Maiava, who replaced Miller Moss two weeks ago against Nebraska. Notre Dame will get a strong push from its defensive line and will cause Maiava to panic, which will lead to a collapse of the USC offense and a lopsided Fighting Irish victory.
However, as dominant as Notre Dame has been, we have to keep in mind that the Irish have not faced elite opponents over the past several weeks. Their toughest game was their first one way back on Labor Day weekend versus Texas A&M. Notre Dame has not seen an opponent as talented as USC since the A&M game. The Trojans have a level of athleticism at the skill positions which dwarfs what Army and Navy brought to the table. Notre Dame could be ambushed by USC’s speed. That’s part of what makes this game so interesting from a betting perspective.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish-USC Trojans Odds
Spread: Notre Dame -7.5 (-110), USC +7.5 (-110)
Total: 51.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
Underdog moneyline: USC +230
Hear T.J. and Gary talk the traditional national rivalry of Notre Dame and USC on this week’s “3 Dog Thursday Podcast” by clicking play below,
USC Has Been Solid at Coliseum
One of the really interesting plot points of this game is that Lincoln Riley did not have Jayden Maiava execute a lot of running plays or quarterback keepers against UCLA last week. It could be the case that Riley didn’t want to show Notre Dame a whole lot on film, but that’s pure speculation. Riley has not had a good year at USC. He prides himself on having offenses which light up the scoreboard, but USC scored just 19 points against UCLA and has struggled to score over 30 points in most of its games this season.
Notre Dame’s offense, with Riley Leonard at quarterback, probably won’t go wild against a beaten-up but tough and resilient USC defense. Notre Dame will probably score 20 to 28 points. It’s going to come down to whether USC scores 31 or 17. Does Notre Dame dominate the matchup, or will the Irish get smoked by that USC speed? Given that Notre Dame has been consistent on defense and USC has been inconsistent on offense, the slight lean goes to the Irish, but it also has to be said that USC has played up to the competition when facing a better team. Case in point: taking Penn State to overtime earlier this season.
We think you should stay away from this game. There is just too much to consider, and the line does not offer clarity.