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Notre Dame Football: Top Storylines vs USC

By Connor McJunkin

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - SEPTEMBER 02: Jafar Armstrong #8 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs with the ball against the Louisville Cardinals on September 02, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - SEPTEMBER 02: Jafar Armstrong #8 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs with the ball against the Louisville Cardinals on September 02, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 24: Chris Finke #10 of Notre Dame football scores a touchdown against Jonathan Lockett #23 of the USC Trojans during the first half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 24, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame football is 4-1 and ranked No. 9 after their 52-0 drubbing of Bowling Green a week ago. Let’s look at the top storylines for their rivalry matchup with the Trojans of Southern California this Saturday.

As a Notre Dame football fan, USC week is always one of my favorites. The Irish have plenty of rivals and heated matchups with other programs, but USC always feels different. The history between the two schools, the all-time great matchups, and of course the Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh, it doesn’t get much better when it comes to college football.

After taking down the Trojans in the 2018 season finale to solidify a perfect regular season and secure a spot in the CFP, the Irish are looking to defeat their cross-country rivals for the third straight year, something Notre Dame hasn’t done since 1999-2001.

After a 5-7 season a year ago, their worst since 2000, USC enters this week’s matchup 3-2 — which includes wins over (then-ranked) Stanford and ranked Utah. There’s no doubt the Trojans haven’t been the same since Sam Darnold left, and losing their starting quarterback J.T. Daniels early in the season didn’t help matters either. However, this team is loaded with talent and is slowly improving.

A win in this game is always important, but with where each program is currently at, USC would want nothing more than to notch a second Top-10 upset and derail Notre Dame’s season.

Notre Dame understands the implications of the game, and as I always say — it’s the most important game because it’s the next one. A solid win vs USC would be a great way to kickoff a stretch that includes Michigan and Virginia Tech in the coming weeks.

Here are the top storylines for this year’s Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh.

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