How To Watch Notre Dame Football vs. USC in Top-25 Matchup

An entertaining aspect of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff is the weight it puts on games like Saturday's between No. 13 Notre Dame and No. 20 USC. Coaches will say every game matters the same, which is true to a certain extent, but this one comes with extra juice for both sides.

Not only is it a rivalry series that's been played in all but four years since 1926, it also puts some of their season-long aspirations at stake. When Notre Dame lost back-to-back games against Miami and Texas A&M to open the season, the Fighting Irish eliminated all margin for error in their pursuit for a second straight national championship appearance. Since then, they've rattled off four straight convincing wins to put themselves back in the national conversation.

On the other side, USC is in the midst of a crucial stretch. After suffering their first loss of the season on Sept. 27 at Illinois, the Trojans took down No. 15 Michigan 31-13 last week. Following Saturday's game, they still have tough tests at No. 25 Nebraska at No. 8 Oregon. But a win in South Bend would keep them in third place in the Big Ten and in the mix for a playoff bid.

Here's more information on the matchup.

How to watch Notre Dame vs. USC

Who: No. 13 Notre Dame (4-2) vs. No. 20 Southern California (5-1, 3-1)

What: Jeweled Shillelagh Trophy game and top-25 matchup

When: 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 18

Where: Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind. (80,795)

TV: NBC

Streaming: Peacock

TV Announcers: Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst), Kathryn Tappen (sideline reporter)

Radio: Notre Dame Radio Network, Sirius XM (channel 129)

Radio Announcers: Tony Simeone (play-by-play), Ryan Harris (analyst)

Point spread: Notre Dame is a 9.5-point favorite over USC, and the over/under is 61.5 points, according to the Draft Kings Sportsbook on Wednesday.

Recent results: Notre Dame has won back-to-back home games: 36-7 over NC State on Saturday and 28-7 over Boise State on Oct. 4. USC bounced back with a 31-13 home win over No. 15 Michigan after losing 34-32 at No. 23 Illinois.

Series history: Notre Dame leads the all-time series 50-37-5. The Fighting Irish have won six of the last seven games dating back to 2017, including last year's matchup in Los Angeles, 49-35. USC's last win came in 2022, and the Trojans haven't won in South Bend since 2011, a 31-17 victory. Notre Dame has scored 30-plus points in each of its last four wins.

Weather: According to weather.com, it’s going to be 60 degrees and cloudy with an 80% chance of rain and southwest winds at 10 miles per hour Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET in South Bend.

Coaches: Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman is 37-12 in his fourth full season, including a 5-2 record in playoff and bowl games. He guided the Fighting Irish to a 14-2 record last season and an appearance in the national championship game. In his fourth season at USC, Lincoln Riley has a 31-15 overall record, a 7-6 record in Big Ten play, a 13-5 record in Pac-12 play and a 2-1 record in bowl games. Riley previous coached at Oklahoma from 2017-21, going 55-10 overall and 37-7 in the Big 12 with four conference titles and a 1-3 record in bowl games.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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