by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Nov 21, 2022
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
Where to watch: ABC
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: USC -5.5
FanDuel: USC -4.5
BetMGM: USC -5.5
Caesars: USC -5
Season record
No. 18 Notre Dame: 8-3
No. 7 USC: 10-1
The college football fun never stops and we're inching closer to conference championship season. A lot of big games are still to be determined in who will play whom and where, and our top-notch handicappers have been at the forefront for the last month or so providing you with the winners you need to head into December with some confidence in your pocket. How can you be so sure? Of course you have to look at the likes of Kyle Hunter going 19-6-0 over the last 30 days, as well as Will Rogers at 22-13-0 over the last month. What about Vegas Writer? He's sitting at 14-7-1 over the last 30 days since joining our team of champion handicappers that has been killing it everywhere this year. You see the success rate. You need to be on board to join our guys who can get you where you need to go for the homestretch of the college football season. Make sure you're keeping tabs here at bigal.com to find out what our champion handicappers are thinking in all sports!
Notre Dame - USC preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
Notre Dame: won 44-0 vs. Boston College
USC: won 48-45 at UCLA
The USC Trojans will be heading to Las Vegas in a couple of weeks to play for a conference championship, and if everything should go according to plan, a chance at the College Football Playoff. USC narrowly escaped UCLA over the weekend and now sits at 10-1 on the year and before the new rankings come out later this week, a decent chance to be moving up to the top five. But what a way for USC to close out the season than by facing arguably the hottest team in the country at this moment, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
The USC Trojans will be heading to Las Vegas in a couple of weeks to play for a conference championship, and if everything should go according to plan, a chance at the College Football Playoff. USC narrowly escaped UCLA over the weekend and now sits at 10-1 on the year and before the new rankings come out later this week, a decent chance to be moving up to the top five. But what a way for USC to close out the season than by facing arguably the hottest team in the country at this moment, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame one again over the weekend winning 44-0 over Boston College at home to improve to 8-3 on the year and once again increase their chances of a very nice bowl game heading into late December or early January. USC might have gotten the leg up on the biggest win over the weekend, however, with a 48-45 victory over the Bruins to essentially seal themselves into a conference title spot and the chance to compete for a national championship.
Saturday night was a night where Heisman candidates were made, icons were created, and the night where USC once again became a national powerhouse. Quarterback Caleb Williams had another tremendous day, throwing for 470 yards and two touchdowns, with the returning Jordan Addison catching 11 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown, as USC held off a late rally from UCLA to cement a spot in the conference title game in the first year under new coach Lincoln Riley.
"If you told me last year where we'd be now, I'd call you a dead liar," wide receiver Kyle Ford said.
The revival of USC cannot go understated. What this means for college football, what this means for the Southern California program in general, is something that can't be understated. I've been talking with someone associated with the USC program who says that Riley has been so instrumental in the with proving aspect with USC that it is starting to feel like USC is begun taking hold on the recruiting scene in California once again and if that is the case, seasons like this are a way to go. It's not every day you can get a reigning Biletnikoff winter on your team basically for nothing. And Saturday showed that even though he can miss a few games with injury, Addison is probably the most important player on this team not named Williams.
It's yet to be determined who USC will be facing at Allegiant Stadium in two weeks, but they can't look that far ahead just yet because the task is still not done. Notre Dame has reeled off five wins in a row, two of them against ranked opponents, and one can only imagine that another win over a ranked team like USC would be the unequivocal cherry on top for Marcus Freeman in his first full year as Notre Dame coach.
"Great teams are able to play to a standard. Great individuals are able to play to a standard, not to the opponent," Freeman said. "Competitors rise to the level of their opponent. To me, great teams, championship teams, set the standard."
Notre Dame's defense has been exceptional over the last month and 1/2 and there's no doubt in my mind that this group can travel and play solid defense on the road. But we are talking about a USC team that is so dynamic offensively both passing and running, even with the loss of running back Travis die, that the Trojans are so electric and it's really a shame that the PAC 12 is losing them soon because the PAC 12 could absolutely use this program.
Prediction
USC is only favored by 5 as the books open for this one, and I just have a hard time going against USC right now. The Irish are playing well and should be commended for an incredible run, but it's been a very long time since it has been USC's time and that time will be now. USC by 14
Betting trends
Notre Dame is 9-1 ATS in November the last three seasons.
Notre Dame is 8-1 ATS after winning 5 or 6 of its last 7 the last 3 seasons.
USC is 37-20 ATS after winning 6 or 7 out of 8 since 1992.
USC is 34-19 ATS after scoring 31 or more in 3 straight games since 1992.
Statistical leaders
Notre Dame:
Passing: Drew Pyne -- 1,703 yards, 19 TD, 5 INT
Rushing: Audric Estime -- 782 yards, 11 TD
Receiving: Michael Mayer -- 711 yards, 7 TD
USC:
Passing: Caleb Williams -- 3,480 yards, 33 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Travis Dye -- 884 yards, 9 TD
Receiving: Jordan Addison -- 765 yards, 8 TD
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Notre Dame Fighting Irish - USC Trojans prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college football projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
