USC Trojans vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/14/2023

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, October 14, 2023

Venue:  Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN

Where to Watch:  NBC

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  USC +2.5, ND -2.5; Over/Under:  60.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  USC +2.5, ND -2.5; Over/Under:  60.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  USC +2.5, ND -2.5; Over/Under:  60.5 points

USC Trojans:  6-0 (4-0) (1st place, Pac-12)

Notre Dame Fighting Irish:  5-2 (0-0) (FBS Independents)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Kyle Hunter is on a HOT STREAK in CFB as he is 81-43 his last 124 CFB Plays! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

USC Trojans:  won their last game at home against the Arizona Wildcats in overtime 43-41.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish:  lost their last game on the road against the Louisville Cardinals 33-20.

USC is entering this game with a 6-0 record overall and they have a 4-0 record in their conference games too. They are 4-0 in their home games, 2-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Arizona 43-41 in OT. Caleb Williams was the starting QB and he completed 14/25 passes for 219 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. MarShawn Lloyd led the team in rushing yards with 86 and 1 TD. Brenden Rice led the receivers with 96 receiving yards on 4 receptions. Jaylin Smith led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 3 assisted tackles while Jamil Muhammad led the defense in sacks with 2. Jacobe Covington came away with the only interception for them in that game.

 

 

 

Notre Dame is entering this game with a 5-2 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 2-1 in their home games, 2-1 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 lost their last game against Louisville 33-20. Sam Hartman was the starting QB and he completed 22/38 passes for 254 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Jeremiyah Love led the team in rushing yards with 37. Mitchell Evans led the receivers with 71 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 1 TD. JD Bertrand led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles while JD Bertrand and Nana Osafo-Mensah each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that game.

The current betting odds have Notre Dame listed as a 2.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Notre Dame is 5-2 this season with losses to Ohio State and now Louisville in their last game but they are going to be looking to bounce back at home. USC has been having a great season with their 6-0 record overall but they haven't looked that great in their wins since they have been giving up a ton of points all year. Notre Dame's offense has been spotty at times but they can put up a lot of points on bad defense and that is what they are getting here with USC. USC has a terrible defense that is going to give up points in this game but Notre Dame also has a great defense and they are going to make it difficult for this USC offense to score. Caleb Williams also struggled a lot more in their last game against Arizona and this will be the toughest defense he has faced all season so Notre Dame definitely has a big edge on the defensive side of the ball and this will be the game that USC's defense lets them down in. The best way to place a bet here is on Notre Dame to cover the spread in this game. 

USC Notre Dame Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 14, 2023 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Notre Dame 31 USC 27.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this USC Trojans Notre Dame Fighting Irish prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.

USC Trojans: 6-14 ATS as a road underdog of 3 points or less. 7-13 ATS after 5 consecutive games where they committed 1 or less turnovers. 27-12 UNDER in a road game where the total is between 56.5 and 63. 31-22 UNDER as a road underdog. 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 20-12 ATS in all games. 6-1 ATS when the total is between 56.5 and 63. 17-7 ATS after playing 2 straight non-conference games. 31-23 UNDER off a road loss. 30-18 UNDER after gaining 75 or less rushing yards last game.

USC Trojans:  Z. Branch (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. K. Foreman (DL) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. D. Jackson (CB) Ques Sat - Head. R. Brown (WR) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish:  E. Raridon (TE) Late Oct - Knee. T. Harper (S) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. C. Salerno (K) out for season - Leg. G. Rubio (DL) Out indefinitely - Knee. K. Bauman (TE) out for season - Knee. K. Smith (WR) Out indefinitely - Shoulder.

“You don’t want to put yourself in that hole. But when you’re in it, you can feel sorry for yourself or you can dig yourself out.” - Lincoln Riley after his team’s win against Arizona in their last game. 

 

“We didn’t run the ball well and they did pressure him. Nobody has put the pressure on the quarterback like Louisville. Give them credit, they were stacking the box and saying we refuse to let you run the ball. Then we have to make some plays in the passing game. We didn’t and we have to be sure not to let this happen again.” - Marcus Freeman after his team’s loss against Louisville in their last game. 

WR Hudson, Kyron 

WR Singer, Dorian 

WR Williams, Mario 

TE McRee, Lake 

QB Williams, Caleb 

RB Jones, Austin

WR Merriweather, Tobias 

WR Thomas, Jayden 

WR Tyree, Chris 

TE Evans, Mitchell 

QB Hartman, Sam 

RB Estimé, Audric

Passing: C. Williams (1822)

Rushing: M. Lloyd (519)

Receiving: T. Washington (456)

Touchdowns: B. Rice (7)

Passing: S. Hartman (1712)

Rushing: A. Estime (692)

Receiving: M. Evans (343)

Touchdowns: A. Estime (7)

Coaches:

USC Trojans: Lincoln Riley (2nd season)

Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Marcus Freeman (3rd season)