USC vs. Notre Dame picks, predictions: Week 13 college football odds, spread, lines

Picks and predictions for USC vs. Notre Dame as the college football season turns to Rivalry Week with a playoff berth on the line

The greatest intersectional rivalry in sports heats up this season as Notre Dame and USC meet up in a game loaded with College Football Playoff implications.

After a sluggish early part of the season, Marcus Freeman's first as head coach, Notre Dame has rebounded by winning five straight games, including three against the class of the ACC, and two of those against the teams that will play for that league's championship, in North Carolina and Clemson.

Lincoln Riley has also made serious waves in his first season on the job at USC, coming in with a 10-1 overall record, fresh off a statement win over rival UCLA on the road, and having clinched a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

By winning this game, USC can take one major step closer towards making its first College Football Playoff, whereas Notre Dame has a golden opportunity to throw their rivals out of the running and finish the season strong.

What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer model projects the game.

USC vs. Notre Dame picks, predictions

USC vs. Notre Dame pick, prediction / USA Today Images

USC's chance of victory: The computer is siding with the Trojans to defend their home turf, with a 65.5 percent chance to win the game outright.

Notre Dame's chance of victory: That leaves the Fighting Irish with a 34.5 percent edge to upset USC on the road and win what would be their ninth game.

Point spread: USC comes into the game as narrow 4.5 point favorites to beat Notre Dame, according to the lines at SI Sportsbook.

Total: 62.5 points

Moneyline: USC -220 | Notre Dame +180

Spread consensus pick: USC -4.5

Score prediction: Team Rankings projects that USC will defeat Notre Dame by a score of 33.4 to 27.6 on Saturday.

How to watch: The game is set for Sat., Nov. 26 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern and 4:30 p.m. Pacific on the main ABC network and streams on fuboTV (Try for free).

USC predictions: The index kept USC at the No. 14 position in its 131 college football rankings, which slot teams by a projected per-game scoring margin. FPI favors the Trojans to win the Pac-12 by a 47.4 percent margin and gives them a 14.9 percent shot to make the College Football Playoff.

Notre Dame predictions: The computer moved the Irish up one spot to No. 16 nationally, first among FBS independents, and projected to be 13.5 points better than an average team on a neutral field.

College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

How to watch and stream college football every season

fuboTV provides full, total, and live coverage of the top college football games on the NCAA schedule every season from the major TV networks as well as the SEC Network, Big Ten Network, ACC Network, Pac-12 Network, and others — all without cable, in addition to 100+ channels of live TV and thousands of hours of on-demand titles.

You can stream college football, the NFL, and other programming from any device, including your phone. There’s no contract, no hidden fees, and DVR is included.

>> Click here to watch college football for free on fuboTV

College football rankings

According to CFP Selection Committee

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. TCU
5. LSU
6. USC
7. Alabama
8. Clemson
9. Oregon
10. Tennessee
11. Penn State
12. Kansas State
13. Washington
14. Utah
15. Notre Dame
16. Florida State
17. North Carolina
18. UCLA
19. Tulane
20. Ole Miss
21. Oregon State
22. UCF
23. Texas
24. Cincinnati
25. Louisville

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | All Teams

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Facebook