The No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-1) look to solidify their College Football Playoff status as they visit the USC Trojans (6-5, 4-5) on Saturday on CBS and Paramount+. The Fighting Irish have won nine straight and are on pace to earn a CFP bid, although they are about to face their toughest opponent since Texas A&M in Week 1. Meanwhile, USC’s first year in the Big Ten has been tough, but they have seen improvement over the last two games with UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava under center. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman ruled out linebackers Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and Bodie Kahoun for this game and said that starting defensive tackle Howard Cross III (ankle) is questionable.
Kickoff from United Airlines Field at the LA Memorial Coliseum is at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Fighting Irish are 7.5-point favorites in the latest Notre Dame vs. USC odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 52.5 via SportsLine consensus. Before making any USC vs. Notre Dame picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
Saturday’s game can be seen live on CBS and streamed live on Paramount+, which you can get for $2.99/month for two months (expires 12/4/24). Sign up right here.
The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a betting profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks, and it is a strong 27-17 on all top-rated picks over the past nine weeks of this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen strong returns.
Now, the model has dialed in on USC vs. Notre Dame and just revealed its coveted betting picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the college football odds for the USC vs. Notre Dame matchup:
- USC vs. Notre Dame spread: Notre Dame -7.5
- USC vs. Notre Dame over/under: 52.5 points
- USC vs. Notre Dame money line: Notre Dame -285, USC +231
- USC vs. Notre Dame picks: See picks at SportsLine
- USC vs. Notre Dame streaming: Paramount+ ($2.99/month for 2 months)
Why USC can cover
Despite getting their first Big Ten campaign off to a rough start, the Trojans enter Saturday’s game above .500 and with a 4-1 home record. They are also 7-4-0 ATS this season and have covered in three of their last four games, two of which were played in Southern California.
Maiava has been a bright spot for USC over back-to-back low-scoring wins where he has collectively thrown for four touchdowns. In USC’s last home game, he threw for 259 yards with three TDs and one interception in a 28-20 win against Nebraska. Maiava will be going up against a superior Notre Dame passing defense, although the Fighting Irish don’t have cornerback Benjamin Morrison (hip) for the rest of the season. See picks at SportsLine.
Why Notre Dame can cover
In addition to having 10 wins on the season, Notre Dame is 9-1-0 ATS in 2024 in addition to averaging a 32.6-point margin of victory over the course of the campaign. The Fighting Irish also just handed Army its first loss of the season, covering a 14-point spread with a 49-14 victory.
All eyes will be on quarterback Riley Leonard to continue rolling after he averaged 11.4 yards per pass with a 76.9% completion rate against Army. He has a 126.3 passer rating in away games this season and is about to face a USC passing defense that is allowing 235.6 yards in the air per game. See picks at SportsLine.
How to make Notre Dame vs. USC picks
SportsLine’s model is going Over on the total, projecting 58 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits in over 60% of simulations. You can see the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Notre Dame vs. USC, and which side of the spread hits over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up well over $2,000 on top-rated spread picks since its inception, and find out, and don’t forget to stream the game on Paramount+.
