Notre Dame vs. USC Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for College Football Week 14

Reed Wallach | Nov 25, 2024

Nov 2, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; USC Trojans running back Woody Marks (4) rushes against the Washington Huskies during the first quarter at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Notre Dame is one win away from completing a sound regular season and contending for a home game in the first round of the College Football Playoff. 

The team will face USC on the road in its regular season finale, who has been undergoing a late season makeover with backup Jayden Maiava finishing the season under center as the Trojans struggled to find its footing in the Big Ten this season. 

USC will be the most talented team Notre Dame has faced since Week 1 at Texas A&M, can the team avoid a letdown and maintain its CFP path? 

Here’s our betting preview. 

Notre Dame vs. USC Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

• Notre Dame -7.5 (-102)
• USC: +7.5 (-118)

Moneyline

• Notre Dame: -285
• USC: +225

Total: 51.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Notre Dame vs. USC How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, November 30th
• Game Time: 3:30 PM EST
• Venue: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
• How to Watch (TV): CBS
• Notre Dame Record: 10-1
• USC Record: 6-5

Notre Dame vs. USC Key Players to Watch

Notre Dame

Riley Leonard: Leonard continues to play better and better as the season goes on. The offense has been humming, but has the competition justified concerns about the team’s explosive pass offense? The team is 15th in EPA/Play but has only played two Power Four teams over .500 since Week 1 against Texas A&M.

USC

Jayden Maiava: Maiava has two starts for the Trojans, both victories against middling Big Ten foes, can he handle an elite Notre Dame defense? The UNLV transfer has made some big plays, but also some mistakes, due in part to rust. The USC pass blocking has been shaky all season but must be at its best on Saturday. 

Notre Dame vs. USC Prediction and Pick

Notre Dame has been destroying teams all season, but I do believe that USC can provide some resistance to the Fighting Irish on both sides of the ball. 

Under first-year defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, the Trojans defense has made some serious strides. While not an elite unit by any means, the group has been sturdy and has done a great job of limiting explosive plays, ranking top half of the country in EPA/Play this season. 

Notre Dame has been able to torch poor defenses, but this USC defense is closer to average and I believe that the Irish may be a bit bloated in terms of its offensive rating. The group remains right around the national average in terms of EPA/Pass, preferring to lean on its run game, and is third in the nation. 

Further, the team plays at an incredibly slow tempo, 107th in seconds per play, so I believe that there can be several methodical possessions here, and if a few lead to field goal attempts or no points, this game can be a methodical affair. 

Meanwhile, the Trojans' best course of action on offense has been leaning on its ground game with Woody Marks, but that has been the strength of the Notre Dame defense, ranking top 25 in yards per carry allowed. 

Maiava has been inconsistent thus far, but I do believe that USC will have opportunities in the passing game to test a ND defense that has been without its top cornerback Benjamin Morrison, but not tested.

Notre Dame has blitzed the competition, but USC is one of the few on its schedule that has the talent to match the Fighting Irish. 

I’ll take the points.

PICK: USC +7.5

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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