Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit Explain Predictions for USC vs. Notre Dame

ESPN's College GameDay was in Athens, Georgia for the No. 9 Bulldogs' top-10 clash with the No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels. Some were surprised that the popular show was not at No. 13 Notre Dame for the Fighting Irish's historic rivalry with the No. 20 USC Trojans, but GameDay's crew spent plenty of time talking about the "Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh."

College GameDay Picks Against USC

Unfortunately for USC fans, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit, and Pat McAfee picked Notre Dame to beat USC. Only Desmond Howard picked the Trojans to pull off the upset on the road.

Look I think Notre Dame losing to two very good teams in very close games the first two games of the season. They’d still be one of the better teams in the country, so I’m going Notre Dame," Saban said while explaining his pick for the Fighting Irish.

Herbstreit agreed with Saban, picking Notre Dame over USC.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish USC Trojans Marcus Freeman Lincoln Riley espn's College GameDay Nick Saban predictions — Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley (wearing white visor) celebrates along with defensive end coach Shaun Nua after kicker Ryon Sayeri (48) hit a 54-yard field goal in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

"We just have to make sure this is as big as it gets for a week 8 game. If you look at Notre Dame they don’t have a conference championship game. They win this game, heavily favored the rest of the way," said Herbstreit.

"Who’s that fourth team going to be in the Big Ten? We know about Oregon, Indiana, Ohio State. Who’s that next team? If SC wins this one, everybody’s going to be talking about the Trojans. So, a lot at stake. Notre Dame, at home, wins it," Herbstreit continued.

Oddsmakers agree with most of the College GameDay cast as Notre Dame is favored by 10.5 points over USC, according to DraftsKings. The point spread initially favored the Fighting Irish by 7.5 points before leaning against the Trojans.

MORE: What Advanced Analytics Say About USC vs. Notre Dame Matchup

MORE: USC's Lincoln Riley Reveals Opinion on Future Rivalry Games vs. Notre Dame

MORE: Three Keys for USC Trojans to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive Against Notre Dame

Nick Saban Reveals Keys for USC Defense

During ESPN's College GameDay, Nick Saban broke down the USC defense and how the Trojans have found success rushing the quarterback under defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn. The legendary coach was quite complimentary of USC's versatility, but he also pointed out some weaknesses that Notre Dame might exploit.

They got six guys up, and they got a seventh guy who could be a potential blitzer, and they're gonna pop out and play what I call fire zone coverage, three under 3D. But the key to the drill here is the X is short, so this corner needs to alert the mic who's dropping out . . . that you don't need to take him because you got a sneaker route coming. So, this is great communication. It's great coaching, it's a good job of pattern matching," Saban said while watching film with Rece Davis.

"So now they've got all the zones covered, they've got everybody covered, they get great pressure on the quarterback off the edge, and they're gonna get a sack," Saban continued.

"This has been the issue for USC is they create a lot of negative plays, but they also give up some big plays, and that'll be a key for Notre Dame today. Run the ball, stay out of negative down a distance situations, but then can we make explosive plays when they do pressure?" Saban said.

Notre Dame's offense threatens opposing defenses with running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price while quarterback CJ Carr has shown continued improvement in his first season as a starter. Will USC's defense slow down the Fighting Irish in South Bend?