Notre Dame vs. USC Total Pick
Will No. 3 Notre Dame bring its defense to the West Coast when the Fighting Irish take on USC on Saturday at 8PM ET?
Game Snapshot & Odds
225 Notre Dame at 226 USC
Saturday, November 24, 2018
8PM ET – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
TV: ABC
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, Notre Dame is favored on the road, as the Fighting Irish are getting odds of -11 points against USC. The over/under total for the game is currently listed at 54 points. The public betting currently has 90 percent going on Notre Dame on the road.
Irish stay unbeaten
Notre Dame stayed unbeaten last week with a dominant 36-3 win over Syracuse at Yankee Stadium. The Fighting Irish are 11-0 overall, 7-3-1 against the spread and 6-5 with the over. Notre Dame has hit the over in three of their last four games.
Notre Dame is strong on both sides of the ball. The Fighting Irish are allowing just 17.3 points and 321.4 yards per game, both of which rank in the top 20 in the country. Offensively, ND is putting up 34.6 points and 454.9 yards per game. Ian Book has led the offense with 2,116 yards and 17 touchdowns passing this year. Dexter Williams is the leading rusher with 844 yards and 11 touchdowns while Miles Boykin has caught 51 passes for 730 yards and eight scores.
USC falls again
The USC Trojans are coming off a 34-27 loss at UCLA last week for their second consecutive loss. USC is now 5-6 overall, 3-8 against the spread and 6-5 with the over. The Trojans have hit the over in three of their last five games.
USC hasn’t been doing very well on offense, averaging just 26.9 points and 377.1 yards per game. Their rushing attack is just 102nd nationally, putting up only 138.1 yards per game. Aca’Cedric Ware is the leading rusher with 757 yards and six touchdowns, but he is questionable for this game with a shoulder injury. JT Daniels has thrown for 2,323 yards and 13 touchdowns to lead the offense, but he also has 10 interceptions. Defensively, USC is giving up 27.3 points and 380.4 yards per contest.
College Football Betting Trends
Notre Dame
Notre Dame has hit the over in four straight road games and in seven of its last nine games against Pac-12 opponents.
USC
USC has hit the over in six of its last eight non-conference games and in four straight against Independent opponents.
Prediction:
Notre Dame is a steady offense that I would expect to continue to score this week against an average USC offense, even on the road. The Irish should put up between 30-40 points. USC has been respectable on offense at home. While ND is very good defensively, I would expect the Trojans to pull out all the stops in this finale, especially with a spot in the bowl season on the line. For that reason, I like the over in this one, as I expect some fireworks.
College Football Prediction: Notre Dame/USC Over 54