Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs USC Trojans Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 11/30/2024

Game Time: 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, November 30, 2024

Venue:  LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  ND -7.5, USC +7.5; Over/Under:  51.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  ND -7.5, USC +7.5; Over/Under:  51.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  ND -7.5, USC +7.5; Over/Under:  51.5 points

Notre Dame Fighting Irish:  10-1 (0-0) (FBS Independent)

USC Trojans:  6-5 (4-5) (10th place, Big Ten)

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish:  won their last game at home against the Army Black Knights 49-14.

USC Trojans:  won their last game on the road against the UCLA Bruins 19-13.

Notre Dame is entering this game with a 10-1 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 5-1 in their home games, 2-0 in their road games, and they are also 3-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Army 49-14. Riley Leonard was the starting QB and he completed 10/13 passes for 148 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Jeremiyah Love led the team in rushing yards with 130 and 2 TDs. Jordan Faison led the receivers with 46 receiving yards on 2 receptions and 1 TD. Jaiden Ausberry led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while Junior Tuihalamaka and Rylie Mills each led the defense in sacks with 0.5. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

USC is entering this game with a 6-5 record overall and they have a 4-5 record in their conference games too. They are 4-1 in their home games, 1-4 in their road games, and they are also 1-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against UCLA 19-13. Jayden Maiava was the starting QB and he completed 19/35 passes for 221 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Jo'quavious Marks led the team in rushing yards with 76. Kyron Hudson led the receivers with 79 receiving yards on 6 receptions. Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and Akili Arnold each led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, Nate Clifton, and Braylan Shelby each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Notre Dame listed as a 7.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Notre Dame has looked great in their games this season with their 10-1 record overall which has them in the playoff race. Their 1 loss came early in the season against Northern Illinois, but they have looked a lot better in every game since that loss. They are coming off a 49-14 win over Army in their last one, Army who was undefeated going into that game, and most of their wins lately have been in blowout fashion like that. Meanwhile, USC has looked good in their games this season with their 6-5 record overall, but their 4-5 conference record has them in the bottom half of the Big Ten. It was their first season in the Big Ten this year and it did not go the way they planned. Their defense improved a lot this season, but their offense struggled to replace Caleb Williams at QB and they are now on their 2nd QB of the season. They haven't looked bad lately and they are coming off a 19-13 win over UCLA in their last one, but they don't have the talent on their team to keep up with a team like Notre Dame. The offense for USC has already been struggling, now they have to play a much better defense and even USC's improved defense isn't going to stop this Notre Dame offense either. The best way to place a bet here is on Notre Dame to cover the spread in this game. 

Notre Dame USC Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, November 30, 2024 (3:30 pm ET start time) is Notre Dame 38 USC 17.

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 23-11 ATS in all lined games. 8-3 ATS in road lined games. 10-4 ATS after scoring 37 points or more last game. 11-3 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record. 23-14 OVER in all lined games. 15-4 OVER after a win by 17 or more points. 11-6 OVER when playing against a team with a winning record.

USC Trojans: 1-5 ATS against teams with a turnover margin of +1 per game or better. 1-4 ATS versus good defensive teams - allowing 4.5 yards/play or more. 2-5 ATS off a road win against a conference rival. 25-12 OVER in all lined games. 13-6 OVER in home lined games. 11-3 OVER after playing their last game on the road. 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish:  K. Viliamu-Asa (LB) Out - Knee. H. Cross (DL) Questionable - Ankle. C. Carr (QB) Questionable - Elbow. B. Morrison (CB) Out - Hip. B. Traore (DL) Out - Knee. C. Tucker (CB) Out - Knee. G. Payne (RB) Out - Knee. C. Jagusah (OL) Out - Pectoral. T. Bennie-Powell (SAF) Out - Shoulder. S. Prescod (OL) Out - Shoulder.

USC Trojans:  M. Banuelos (OL) Questionable - Undisclosed. S. Tuliaupupu (DE) Questionable - Undisclosed. G. Quinones (OL) Out - Undisclosed. E. Gentry (LB) Out - Redshirt. A. Lucas (DE) Out - Lower Body. R. Davis (LB) Out - Redshirt. B. Alexander (DT) Out - Redshirt.

“It’s almost like he's anticipating what the defense is going to do and when he breaks through that second level, I don’t see many people that can catch him.” - Marcus Freeman after his team’s win against Army in their last game. 

“Awesome win. It was an interesting week, and we just decided from the very beginning that nothing out of our control was going to be an excuse. The only thing I can compare it to is maybe having gone through a COVID football season.” - Lincoln Riley after his team’s win against UCLA in their last game. 

WR Collins, Beaux 

WR Faison, Jordan 

WR Greathouse, Jaden

TE Evans, Mitchell 

QB Leonard, Riley 

RB Love, Jeremiyah 

WR Hudson, Kyron

WR Lane, Ja'Kobi 

WR Lemon, Makai 

WR Branch, Zachariah 

TE McRee, Lake 

QB Maiava, Jayden

RB Marks, Woody

Passing: R. Leonard (1937)

Rushing: J. Love (850)

Receiving: B. Collins (427)

Touchdowns: J. Love (16)

Passing: M. Moss (2555)

Rushing: W. Marks (1100)

Receiving: M. Lemon (532)

Touchdowns: W. Marks (9)

Coaches:

Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Marcus Freeman (4th season)

USC Trojans: Lincoln Riley (3rd season)