It's one of the oldest rivalries in college football. It dates all the way back to 1926 when Notre Dame and USC met for the first time. In that game, it was Knute Rockne's Irish beating Howard Jones' Trojans 13-12. On Saturday night in the Coliseum, it will be Brian Kelly's Irish meeting Clay Helton's Trojans, and it'll be the 87th meeting in the series between the schools.
Each school has had its run at dominating the series, but in recent years, the teams have alternated blowout wins with Notre Dame running over USC 49-14 in 2017 and the Trojans beating up the Irish 45-27 in 2016.
From 2002 to 2011, it was the Trojans dominating, as they won nine of 10 meetings with most coming in blowout fashion. In 2012, Notre Dame beat USC 22-13 in Los Angeles, a win that helped send the Irish to the BCS National Championship. This year, the Irish are hoping history repeats itself, as they sit 11-0 and ranked No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Viewing information
Date: Saturday, Nov. 24 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum -- Los Angeles, California
TV: ABC | Live stream: WatchESPN
Storylines
Notre Dame: This isn't rocket science here. You don't have to be able to get into Notre Dame to understand what's at stake for Notre Dame on Saturday night. If the Irish beat the Trojans they will be 12-0. They're already ranked No. 3 in the CFP Rankings and they don't have to worry about a conference championship game next week. So, simply put, if Notre Dame wins this game it's going to the College Football Playoff, where it will likely face Clemson in a semifinal.
USC: It has been a rough season for the Trojans. They entered 2018 with tempered expectations after losing so many valuable members from the 2017 season. Things only became more difficult during the season when a young team lost a lot of key veterans to injury, and now the Trojans enter the final weekend of the regular season at 5-6, needing one more win just to reach a bowl game. There have also been rumors swirling about Helton's job security. Rumors which only grew louder following last week's loss to UCLA. So not only are the Trojans playing for a chance to go bowling, they might be playing for their coach's job as well.
Game prediction, picks
I just don't see how anybody could talk themselves into trusting USC in this matchup. We're talking about a USC team that has lost games to just about everybody with a pulse this season. Yes, they are responsible for Washington State's lone loss on the year, but that was before injuries ravaged the defense further. Then there's a Notre Dame team that has faced test after test after test in 2018 and passed them all. Last week there were a lot of people who thought the Irish would finally trip against Syracuse. Instead they won 36-3. I expect a similar performance on Saturday night. Pick: Notre Dame -10.5
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