USC vs. Notre Dame game score prediction, picks by college football computers
One of college football's traditional rivalries is set to kick off this weekend with national championship implications as USC welcomes Notre Dame on Saturday.
Notre Dame, playing inspired under first-year coach Marcus Freeman, comes in riding a five-game win streak that includes victories over both teams that will play for the ACC title, North Carolina and Clemson, and while it's not in the playoff chase this year, Notre Dame can still directly affect it.
That is, by beating USC, the newfound favorites in the Pac-12 in Lincoln Riley's first season as head coach, compiling a 10-1 record and clinching a berth in the conference championship game.
If they win out, the Trojans are poised to move into the final four, given that either Ohio State or Michigan, respectively the second- and third-ranked teams in the CFP rankings, will have to lose this weekend.
What can we expect from the greatest intersectional rivalry in sports? Let's take a look around from the experts to judge who is favored and who should win.
USC vs. Notre Dame picks, predictions
USC vs. Notre Dame picks, predictions
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Point spread: USC comes into the game as 4.5 point favorites to win, according to the lines at SI Sportsbook, which set the over/under at 64 points.
SP+ prediction: The model devised by ESPN analyst Bill Connelly projects that USC has the 72 percent chance to win the game outright and defeat the Fighting Irish by a score of 36 to 25.
FPI prediction: USC has the 65.5 percent edge to win the game, according to the Football Power Index computers that predict winners by simulating a team's season 20,000 times. Notre Dame has a 34.5 percent edge, according to the index.
Team Rankings prediction: Team Rankings projects that USC will defeat Notre Dame by a score of 34.0 to 28.4 on Saturday.
College Football HQ prediction: Our own projections indicate that USC has a 61 percent chance to defeat Notre Dame outright, by a score of 36 to 23, and cover the spread. USC -4.5
How to watch: The game is set for Sat., Nov. 26 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern and 4:30 p.m. Pacific on the main ABC network and streams on fuboTV (Try for free).
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