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Notre Dame football: Will Irish continue dominance over USC in 2021?

By Daniel Morrison

BERKELEY, CA - SEPTEMBER 23: The USC Trojans mascot drives his sword into the field before the game against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium on September 23, 2017 in Berkeley, California. The USC Trojans defeated the California Golden Bears 30-20. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
BERKELEY, CA - SEPTEMBER 23: The USC Trojans mascot drives his sword into the field before the game against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium on September 23, 2017 in Berkeley, California. The USC Trojans defeated the California Golden Bears 30-20. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 18: The USC Trojans take to the field for the game against the Oregon Ducks during the Pac 12 2020 Football Championship at United Airlines Field at the Coliseum on December 18, 2020, in Los Angeles, California Notre Dame football. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 18: The USC Trojans take to the field for the game against the Oregon Ducks during the Pac 12 2020 Football Championship at United Airlines Field at the Coliseum on December 18, 2020, in Los Angeles, California Notre Dame football. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

The Notre Dame football program has dominated the USC Trojans in recent years, but can that trend continue in 2021? We take a look at everything USC.

Do you ever sit around and wonder, why hasn’t USC fired Clay Helton yet? It doesn’t entirely make sense, as 45-23 in six seasons is well below the expectations at USC. It’s also clear that he’s not likely to change the course of the program anytime soon.

The Trojans’ recruiting is clear enough on that subject. Still, it doesn’t seem like the administration at USC has the same energy to move on from him that the fans do, and Helton even survived an athletic director change when his seat was the hottest.

With only two major bowl game appearances and one conference championship, including none in the past three seasons, he needs to find a way to get it going in 2021. Luckily enough for Helton, they have a weak schedule in 2021, dodging both Oregon and Washington from the PAC-12 North.

There isn’t any debate about it. Notre Dame football is by far the Trojans’ biggest and toughest test. For Notre Dame football, it’s going to be part of a difficult two-game stretch, with North Carolina following USC to South Bend the next week.

So, the key is to avoid looking ahead and focus on your biggest rival. That should be manageable with a bye week beforehand.

Notre Dame football leads the all-time series over USC 47-36-5. That includes their last three meetings. Notre Dame’s biggest win of all-time over USC came in 1966 when they won 51-0. USC’s biggest win over Notre Dame came in 2007, with a 38-0 win.

This game was canceled last season due to the pandemic.

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