All Eyes on Notre Dame in High-Stakes Showdown Against USC

Notre Dame faces USC in a pivotal clash with playoff hopes and pride on the line. Can the Irish rise to the occasion?

Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; The Notre Dame Leprechaun and cheerleaders celebrate after a Notre Dame touchdown in the third quarter against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Knute Rockne himself would be proud of the Notre Dame spectacle

The legendary Knute Rockne was, in a lot of ways the first true "influencer" in America when it came to seeing the value in coast-to-coast promotion of product, in his case being the Fighting Irish football squad.

Thanks to the groundwork and foundation he laid, Notre Dame is a cross-country brand with mega reach far beyond South Bend Indiana.

On the 100th anniversary of the infamous 1924 Irish season which featured the Four Horseman, Notre Dame traveled to Yankee Stadium to collect a big win over Army.

Next up, to close out the season is the 2nd leg of the "Rockne Road Trip" to LA for a clash with the Trojans with Notre Dame's playoff life hanging in the balance. Rockne would be proud to know all of America will be watching his team on the biggest stage this weekend.

This is the one game of the year that America stands with USC in hopes of crushing Notre Dame’s☘️ playoff hopes.

Let’s do this USC✌️/America 🇺🇸

Beat the Fighting Irish⚔️ pic.twitter.com/mFf9hyakVj

— Trojan Football ✌️fan (@TrojanFBx) November 25, 2024

Notre Dame vs everybody is just how the Irish prefer it to be

Outside of the loyal Notre Dame contingent, most of America will be rooting for Notre Dame to lose on Saturday. This isn't out of allegiance for the Trojans, but rather due to hatred for the Irish.

Notre Dame is an outsider carving its own path. It doesn't need to rely on a conference to bolster them and support them. This creates outsider animosity.

All of this vitriol means you matter. That's a great thing for the Irish.

With a win on Saturday, Notre Dame locks in a home game hosting CFP seed. With a loss, it's likely the Irish are out of the field and another team will thankfully snatch up the spot Notre Dame previously occupied. All of America will be watching with everything on the line.

This kind of high-stakes moment is what Notre Dame Football was built on and what it should feel like more often. All that's left to do now is for the Irish to dispatch of USC and claim their CFP spot.

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

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