Notre Dame vs USC Prediction Game Preview

Notre Dame vs USC game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 13 game on Saturday, November 26

Notre Dame vs USC prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 13, Saturday, November 26


Notre Dame vs USC Prediction Game Preview

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f1343a1wt7q817p7 player_id=none image=https://collegefootballnews.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Notre Dame vs USC How To Watch

Date: Saturday, November 26
Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
How To Watch: ABC
Record: Notre Dame (8-3), USC (10-1)
Sign up and live stream college football on ESPN+

Why Notre Dame Will Win

The Irish are going to run the ball.

It’s been easy to dismiss the season because of the 0-2 start and loss to Marshall, and the inexplicable loss to Stanford always gets brought up, but the team is 8-1 in the last nine game for a reason.

The running game has found it.

The passing attack hasn’t been consistent enough, but the offensive line has kicked it in, the trio of backs and QB Drew Pyne are producing, and it’s getting stronger and stronger with 220 rushing yards or more in four of the last five games.

Notre Dame is 6-0 when it runs for 200 yards or more. UCLA just powered away for over 200 in the thrilling 48-45 USC win, but it’s more than just that.

The Trojan D gives up 4.6 yards per carry, but most teams abandon the ground game to start throwing in an attempt to keep up the pace. The Irish have to keep running no matter what until the O breaks through.

They’re 8-0 when running 38 times or more, and Stanford is the only team to run that many times – 45 in the 41-28 loss – against the Trojans.

But …

Bowl Projections | Bowl Bubble: Who’s Bowl Eligible?

Why USC Will Win

Caleb Williams is just that good.

He had the performance he needed to have against UCLA – 75% for 470 yards and two scores and 33 rushing yards and a touchdown – and now the Heisman might be his for the taking with one more monster game when everyone is watching.

But USC is more than 13.

Even without Travis Dye the running game kept on rolling last week – the Trojans average 5.3 yards per carry – the line gives Williams a ton of time to work, and it all meshes with a relentless style that will be impossible for Notre Dame to match.

Only Tennessee averages more yards per game, no one is better in turnover margin, and only Washington is more effective on third downs.

Again, the turnover margin. Notre Dame has forced multiple takeaways in three of the last four games, but USC has only given it away four times. So …

Week 13 College Football Schedule, Game Previews

What’s Going To Happen

USC might turn it over once, but it won’t turn it over two or more times that Notre Dame will need.

USC will give up 450 yards, but it won’t give up the 500 Notre Dame will need.

Williams will struggle in the first half, find his groove in the second half, and then it’ll come down to the USC defense and its second takeaway of the game to seal the thriller.

Expert Picks College Week 12NFL Week 11

Notre Dame vs USC Prediction, Line

USC 40, Notre Dame 34
Line: USC -5.5, o/u: 64.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Notre Dame vs USC Must See Rating (out of 5): 5

CFN 1-131 Rankings | Rankings by Conference
Path to the Playoff: 7 teams still in the race 

[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]

Bowl Projections | Rankings

15 Possible Games If There’s No Pac-12 Season, Or If California Schools Don’t Reopen

What might happen if the Pac-12 doesn’t play non-conference games? Here are 15 ideas for college football matchups to fill the void.

What might happen if the Pac-12 doesn’t play non-conference games – or doesn’t play football at all – and if the California schools don’t reopen this fall? Here are 15 ideas for college football matchups to fill the void.


Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

With the announcement by the California State University system that there likely won’t be in-person classes in the fall, and with the University of California system likely to do the same, what happens if the various schools decide the cancel all athletics and not have a college football season?

Or, what happens if the Pac-12 figures out a way for all the members to play, but decides to go with an 11-game conference-only schedule? What happens to all the big games against the big teams on the various slates?

All of a sudden, several athletic departments across the country will be scrambling to fill the holes – some are supposedly looking into filling out their schedules right now.

We already tried to come up with the idea of how the Pac-12 season might look if it played an 11-game schedule with only conference teams, but what happens to the schools on the non-conference schedule?

Let’s play the role of part athletic director and part matchmaker and come up with the best possible games if there’s no Pac-12 college football non-conference season and/or if all California schools choose not to have athletics if they conduct all of their classes on-line.

Let’s also start with a few massive assumptions.

1. The idea that there won’t be football if students aren’t back on campus holds. If everyone really tried to work the problem, it might be possible to test players, quarantine them in an athletic facility for a few months, have them take online courses like everyone else, and then play in a limited way. However, that all seems unlikely.

2. Other schools across the country are actually going to have students on campus and will play college football. That’s a massive leap – it’s not just going to be the California schools that put the kibosh on in-person classes in the fall. But let’s assume – for now – that it’s all-systems-go for everyone else.

3. This assumes that there either won’t be a Pac-12 football season, or there will be one with no non-conference games. All 15 of the potential matchups listed below take out the Pac-12 teams and also assumes the absence of Fresno State, San Diego State, and San Jose State. Those last three are Mountain West schools in the California State University System. UCLA and Cal are in the University of California system.

Got all of that?

Basically, here are 15 potential ideas for college football matchups if the Pac-12 and three California Mountain West schools end up not playing college football for the 2020 season.

Obviously not all of these can happen considering Alabama, for example, only has to potentially fill just one game on September 5th. These are possibilities to play around with.

[jwplayer jqPM8mHk]

15. BYU at Wyoming, Sept. 19

Current Scheduled Games
Utah at Wyoming, Sept. 19
BYU at Arizona State, Sept. 19

This one’s relatively easy – it’s almost like a normal Mountain West matchup. The two haven’t met since BYU won the 2016 Poinsettia Bowl over the Cowboys 24-21, but they’ve played 78 games starting in 1922.

14. North Dakota State at TCU, Sept. 5

Current Scheduled Games
North Dakota State at Oregon, Sept. 5
TCU at Cal, Sept. 5

The main problem here – and the the NCAA might have to chill a bit if this matters when it comes to bowl eligibility – is that TCU will start the season with two games against FCS schools. It would kick things off against the Bison, and then play Prairie View A&M.

13. Hawaii at Notre Dame, Nov. 28

Current Scheduled Games
Hawaii at San Diego State, Nov. 28
Notre Dame at USC, Nov. 28

This is a no-brainer. Notre Dame avoids a road game – which might matter in a big way; more on that later on this list – and Hawaii has to fly a little further. The two last played in the 2008 Hawaii Bowl – a 49-21 Irish win – and it would be the fourth meeting all-time between the two. Notre Dame is 3-0.

12. BYU at Texas Tech, Sept. 19

Current Scheduled Games
BYU at Arizona State, Sept. 19
Arizona at Texas Tech, Sept. 19

This is easy. BYU’s plane would fly just a wee bit further east to Lubbock instead of Tempe. Texas Tech would happily take this deal with the Big 12 season kicking off the following week against Iowa State on the road. This would be the second all-time meeting between the two – BYU can finally get a shot at revenge for the 21-20 loss back in 1940.

11. BYU at Penn State, Sept. 19

Current Scheduled Games
BYU at Arizona State, Sept. 19
San Jose State at Penn State, Sept. 19

It would be the fourth meeting between the two schools – the last one a 30-17 BYU win in 1992 – and it might be the most likely of the September 19 options for Penn State. BYU was supposed to play a road game anyway, and the Nittany Lions aren’t going to be too keen to go on the road to play anyone. There would be a fight for the other possible Penn State matchups, like …

10. Texas Tech at Penn State, Sept. 19

Current Scheduled Games
Arizona at Texas Tech, Sept. 19
San Jose State at Penn State, Sept. 19

Neither team will want to give up a home game and later concessions would have to be made to the school that travels. Penn State will be coming off a trip to Virginia Tech and kicks off the Big Ten season the following week against Northwestern – no chance it’ll want to move for Texas Tech.

The Red Raiders play Alabama State the week before, but have to travel to Iowa State to start the Big 12 season the following week.

It would be the second meeting between the two – Penn State won 24-23 to kickoff the 1995 season.

[vertical-gallery id=512292]

9. BYU at Texas A&M, Sept. 19

Current Scheduled Games
BYU at Arizona State, Sept. 19
Colorado at Texas A&M, Sept. 19

BYU is going to be the most coveted team on this September 19th date because it’s simply swapping a road game for another road game. Texas A&M isn’t going to want to travel, and this makes it easy.

The two teams are 2-2 against each other with the last meeting a 41-37 Cougar win in the Pigskin Classic to start the 1996 season.

8. Texas Tech at Texas A&M, Sept. 19

Current Scheduled Games
Arizona at Texas Tech, Sept. 19
Colorado at Texas A&M, Sept. 19

The politics of getting this game going would be next to impossible, but the matchup would be a whole lot of fun.

The two former Big 12/Southwest Conference rivals first started playing in 1927 and last faced off in 2011 – a 45-40 Texas A&M win.

In a perfect world, these two meet in the middle and play in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, but 1) Texas A&M plays Arkansas there the following week and 2) no chance A&M travels to Lubbock with three of its following four games away from College Station, and 3) Texas Tech probably wouldn’t want to concede a home game to A&M.

7. North Dakota State at Michigan, Sept. 5

Current Scheduled Games
North Dakota State at Oregon, Sept. 5
Michigan at Washington, Sept. 5

Realistically, this is the most likely of all the North Dakota State possibilities on September 5th. Michigan not only doesn’t have any other games against FCS teams on the schedule, but it gets to exchange a road game at Washington for a home one.

Of course, against the defending FCS national champion Bison, be careful what you wish for.

6. TCU at Michigan, Sept. 5

Current Scheduled Games
TCU at Cal, Sept. 5
Michigan at Washington, Sept. 5

Which school would be cool with staying with a road game? It would be the first ever meeting between the two schools, and Michigan wouldn’t have any real beef traveling to Fort Worth considering it plays Ball State the following week. TCU has Prairie View A&M to follow, and then a week off – it would probably be the one to travel.

NEXT: Top 5 Schedule Possibilities If Pac-12 Teams Don’t Play Non-Conference Games

WATCH: Ten Best Blocked Kicks in Notre Dame History

Notre Dame has blocked their fair share of punts and field goals over the years. See the ten best right here!

What is the best sound effect you hear during a football game?

There are a ton of solid ones but one of my favorites will always be the double-thud of a blocked kick.

Notre Dame put together their list of the ten best blocked kicks in program history.  Before we discuss, simply enjoy the ten kicks first.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjLnc5Lc2p4&w=560&h=315]

I wasn’t around for two or three, born too late to enjoy those live.  Watching the Crable block against Michigan is great because it’s the first of a pair of field goals to break Michigan’s hearts two years in a row, but the launching off of a teammate to do it looks so foreign compared to rule changes since.

The Glenn Earl block against Air Force was just silliness as well, especially considering he was supposed to be playing back, protecting against a fake.  For being far from a great the 2000 squad was incredibly fun, even if incredibly frustrating at times, too.

My favorite on the rest of the list may have to be when a young Reggie Brooks almost takes the ball from the punter himself.  He doesn’t have to lay out or anything, just tap the kick away, go run into the end zone to recover it and score.  Blanton’s against Utah is very much the same, it just happened to have a perfect hop for the scoop-and-score.

Fun list.

 

Watch: My Three Favorite Alohi Gilman Moments at Notre Dame

What’s hard to account for is who takes over that leadership roll?

When things hit the fan and the wheels appear to be coming off, who steps up and demands the respect of the room and begins to stop the bleeding?

Gilman was fantastic at exactly that and No. 11 will be missed next season.

As you may or may not have heard, Notre Dame safety Alohi Gilman is taking a pass on his final year of eligibility and will enter the 2020 NFL Draft.

Gilman played the last two years at Notre Dame after spending his freshman season at the Naval Academy in 2016 and sitting out due to the transfer in 2017.

With Gilman gone the skill-level isn’t going to take a massive hit as Houston Griffith and Isaiah Pryor among others are waiting for their time to shine in blue and gold, but Notre Dame will move forward without one of their great leaders.

When I think of Alohi Gilman I think of a player who reeked of leadership whenever you heard him speak, watched his demeanor on the field or sideline and had a knack for making the absolutely huge play when it was needed the most.

With that in mind, here are my three favorite:

-Forced Fumble Creates Cure Craziness Against Vanderbilt

Irish in the NFL: Boykin Shines Again in LA Coliseum

Boykin caught 77 passes and 11 touchdowns at Notre Dame but I’ll always remember this block before anything else he did in blue and gold.

With the Baltimore Ravens playing on and owning Monday Night Football this week it meant for a chance for the nation to get a closeup of MVP-frontrunner, Lamar Jackson.  Before we get to the Notre Dame connection to this game let me just say that his meteoric rise to super-stardom makes me incredibly happy to be wrong about what he might be able to do in the NFL.

He’s not only the most exciting player going this season but he’s also got to be the favorite to win the MVP award after doing what he did to the Patriots a couple weeks ago on Sunday Night Football and again for his five touchdown passes and complete domination of the Rams on Monday Night Football.

Now to the Notre Dame side of this game:

Miles Boykin must have a thing for the Los Angeles Coliseum.  In last year’s regular season finale you may remember what he did to spring Tony Jones, Jr. to the end zone to clinch a 12-0 regular season.

Boykin caught 77 passes and 11 touchdowns at Notre Dame but I’ll always remember this block before anything else he did in blue and gold.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0EX041dKQw&w=560&h=315]

Well, Boykin was at it again Monday night as the Ravens embarrassed the reigning NFC Champs on their home field, 45-6.

It may have been out of hand at this point but its remarkable to me how Boykin’s highlight catch tonight occurs in almost the exact same spot as his block, nearly exactly a year to the day, that sent the Fighting Irish to their first College Football Playoff appearance. (Shoutout to Austin Hough of The Goshen News for pointing that out to me on Twitter).

I also wouldn’t be doing my proper work if I didn’t send mad-praise the way of Ronnie Stanley who has been an absolute monster for the Ravens and is a huge reason their downright nasty rushing attack works as well as it does.

The Ravens now sit at 9-2 on the season and atop the AFC North standings.  Along with Boykin and Stanley, former Notre Dame corner back Bennett Jackson, Jr. is also currently on the Ravens roster.