Notre Dame Football: Three Bold Predictions for the Irish against USC
By Chase Eyrich
Trojans Ride False Hope Early
You can’t have a rivalry and expect little push back. When you look at the history of Notre Dame and USC, there have been some phenomenal games, starting with the first game between the schools in 1926 and ending with the heartbreakers sucha as the 2005 Bush Push. Notre Dame and USC have always played games filled with drama.
While Notre Dame fans are hoping to repeat the same type of stomping that we saw in last seasons 49-14 victory, this season is a little different.
This is where the schedule matters. Since this season the game is at USC, that obviously means it’s the last game of the season. With that being said, there are a just two things on the Trojans’ minds. There is a small part of USC that will be focused on becoming bowl eligible with a win this week. That will provide some motivation but not the majority of it.
But what will really measure success for USC would be derailing Notre Dame’s chance at the College Football Playoffs.
This is where the rivalry has become famous. So often it has decided a National Champion. Weather the champ came out of this game or a loss took a championship away, this game has had a huge impact on college football history.
It won’t decide a champion this season, but it will decide if Notre Dame goes to the playoffs or not. Emotions will be high and USC will be able to come out of the gates as they belong in this game.
Where the Trojans have struggled this season is making adjustments. If they get off to a fast start or not, USC won’t make the necessary adjustments to stay in this game giving their fan base a sense of false hope.