No. 6 USC Trojans (4-1) 2-3 ATS, 1-4 O/U at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-1) 1-4 ATS, 3-2 O/U Saturday October 17, 2009 Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN. 3:30 p.m. EST
By Wilson of Predictem.com
Point Spread: USC -10/Notre Dame +10
Over/Under: Off
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This weekend the USC Trojans travel to Notre Dame for their annual matchup in one of college football's greatest rivalries. The Trojans are currently ranked No. 5 in the country while the Fighting Irish are sitting tight at No. 25 in both polls.
The Trojans have won the last two meetings and have outscored the Irish 76 to 3. Last year USC won 38-3 and the year before that they downed Notre Dame 38-0. However, this year may be different as the Irish have improved and enter this game with the same record as the Trojans but more importantly, they have a new confidence.
The biggest difference between these two teams is defense. The Trojans are only giving up 8.6 points per game to their opponents while the Irish are allowing 23.8 to the opposition.
USC is known for stuffing the run as they only allow 64 yards rushing per game. The Trojan pass defense is a bit more generous by giving up 173 per contest. This will be welcome news for the Irish as they are more likely to use the pass. Notre Dame is averaging 322 yards through the air. USC balances out their attack as usual by gaining a couple hundred yards both through the air and on the ground.
The Trojans have had two close games this season with differing results. They won by three points at Ohio State but lost by three points at the University of Washington. All the rest of their games have been blowouts. If you want to watch a good college football matchup I think this Saturday will be a great opportunity especially if you have action on this game.
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weiss has been patient the last couple of seasons while taking it on the chin, but now his guys are playing better although they may still not be up to the same level as USC.
This game opened at USC -11.5 and has currently already moved to -10. The Trojans are certainly not the same dominant team that they have been in the past but they have proven to play well in these big games. Sure they might lose to UW by three and squeeze out a win at the horseshoe with a freshman behind center but this is the Notre Dame Game. USC will show up for this Holy of all Holy contests.
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The under is 21-7 in USC's last 28 games overall and 15-5 in their last 20 games in October. The over is 6-1 in Notre Dame's last 7 home games. Head to head, the favorite is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 meetings. USC has won 7 of the last 8 meetings. The last win for the Irish against the Trojans was in 2001 when the Irish beat the Trojans 27-16 at home.
USC comes into this matchup as winners of 12 of their last 13 games while Notre Dame has won 5 of their last 6 contests. This will definitely be one of the most watched games this weekend if not the most as this is considered a classic rivalry.
Believe it or not Oregon is sitting on top of the Pac-10 right now with a 3-0 conference record while USC shares 1 loss in conference along with six other teams. The season is long from over but USC will likely be in the hunt for the Roses like usual, if not a bigger bowl game.
As for the Irish, well, they can help with the recriuting process by knocking off USC at home, or they can fizzle out once again on the national stage like in recent years.
Wilson's Pick: USC 17, Notre Dame 14. Luck to ya.
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