Notre Dame and USC's Surprising Line for Saturday's Showdown

Notre Dame and USC meet again Saturday in what is a massive game for both.

The Fighting Irish are in the middle of a stretch where they need to win 10 straight games to have a chance at making the College Football Playoff (CFP), while USC has just one loss on the year, is back in the AP Poll top 25 after beating Michigan this past weekend and hopes to make its first CFP.

It's the biggest Notre Dame vs. USC game impacting both programs in years, and will be played under the lights in South Bend. So how do the oddsmakers have this one to start the week?

Notre Dame vs USC Betting Odds Released

According to the folks at FanDuel, Notre Dame is a significant favorite for Saturday night's showdown. As of 8:15 p.m. ET on October 12, the betting odds at FanDuel are as follows:

Pointspread: Notre Dame -7.5
Total: 61.5
Money lines: Notre Dame -285, USC +230

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thoughts:

Just how much has Notre Dame's defense improved since its massive struggles against Miami and Texas A&M to start the year? It has allowed just 34 points over its last 14 quarters combined, but that came against the likes of Purdue, Arkansas, Boise State, and NC State. Sure, some of those offenses have put up impressive numbers this year, but none of them touch what USC is capable of offensively.

The Trojans have eclipsed the 30-point mark in every game so far this season, including putting 31 on the board this past week against Michigan. Notre Dame's defense has been significantly better the last few weeks, although I'd argue that it is still a lot more in "bend, but don't break" mode than it has been dominating.

Either way, Saturday will be the biggest test it has had since Texas A&M, and the pass defense will need to be better as quarterback Jayden Maiava has thrown for 1,852 yards already and 13 touchdowns to just two interceptions on the year.

Notre Dame vs USC For the Last Time?

Saturday may be bittersweet as no contract extension for the Notre Dame vs. USC rivalry has been announced. Nothing would make fans of both programs happier than that news being dropped at some point before kickoff, but I feel like I know better than to get my hopes up for that.

Notre Dame will enter Saturday night's game with a 52-38-5 advantage over the Trojans.