Let’s see which team is the one who takes the win on this Trojans at Fighting Irish betting preview.
The USC Trojans will travel to Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday night to take on the 13th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a big-time showdown. The Trojans are 3-3 and are coming off a 42-26 home loss to the Utah Utes.
Junior quarterback Kedon Slovis finished going 33-of-53 for 401 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
The Fighting Irish are 5-1 and are coming off a 32-29 home win over the Virginia Tech Hokies. Senior quarterback Jack Coan finished just 9-of-12 for 108 yards and a touchdown.
Greetings to London
The USC Trojans have been solid at passing the ball this season as junior wide receiver Drake London has been doing well. So far this season, he has 65 receptions for 832 yards (13 yards per carry) with five touchdowns.
Looking at his last game against the Utah Utes, he finished with 16 catches for 162 yards (10.1 yards per catch) and a touchdown. If he can continue to be a massive weapon in the Trojans offense, it will do wonders for USC.
The USC Trojans have been a decent defensive team this season as they have given up 27.3 points per game. They are coming off a game against the Utah Utes, where they allowed 42 points on 486 yards of total offense (306 passing, 180 rushing).
They were doing well on third down as the Utes were held to 5-of-11 on third down. The defense needs to step up against the opposing running game as they gave up 5.1 yards per rushing attempt. If the Trojans can continue this defensive prowess, they will be in a great spot.
Mayer of the Offense
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a solid offensive game plan, and that includes throwing the ball to sophomore tight end Michael Mayer. So far this season, he has 32 receptions for 360 yards (11.3 yards per catch) with three touchdowns.
Mayer was heavily involved in the last game against the Cincinnati Bearcats as he had eight catches for 93 yards (11.6 yards per reception). If Jack Coan can figure out how to continue getting him open and throwing him the football, the Fighting Irish will be great here.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have not been doing well defensively this season as they are allowing 24.3 points per game so far. Looking at the last game against the Virginia Tech Hokies, they gave up 29 points on 321 total yards of offense (187 passing, 134 rushing).
The Fighting Irish did a great job at stopping the Hokies on third down as they were forced to go 8-of-17 on third down attempts. Notre Dame needs some improvement against the run as well, as they allowed 3.6 rushing yards per attempt. If Notre Dame can continue improving, they can win here.
Who to Bet?
Depending on where you look, Notre Dame is looking like a touchdown favorite in this game, and I will happily swallow the points in this matchup.
The Trojans’ defense has been struggling as of late as they have given up 33.7 points in their previous three games.
Slovis has shown the ability to turn the football over, and Notre Dame’s running game can take advantage. All in all, go with the ranked program to cover the spread.
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