Notre Dame football: 3 reasons the Irish will beat USC in Week 8
By Brad Weiss
![ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 01: Kurt Hinish #41 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish blows kisses to the fans after the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl football game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at AT&T Stadium on January 01, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 31-14. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 01: Kurt Hinish #41 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish blows kisses to the fans after the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl football game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at AT&T Stadium on January 01, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 31-14. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/207db8bfc9d5fd05e74f52d18baffbe72ed901e65f3de3764cd187b537abd2ef.jpg)
The Notre Dame football team is coming off their bye week as they take on USC, and here are three reasons they will come out on top.
In their first game after the bye week, the Notre Dame football team will stay home to welcome the USC Trojans to town in a monster rivalry game. Due to COVID-19, this rivalry was put on pause last season, a season that saw the Irish go undefeated during the regular season, but they will pick it back up inside Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday night.
Here, we look at three reasons why the Irish will come out on top in this one.
Notre Dame football: 3 reasons the Irish will beat USC in Week 8
Irish defense against the USC offense
The USC offense has some solid players, including Drake London, who is instant offense from his wide receiver spot and is averaging over ten receptions a game this season. However, Kedon Slovis has not been great all season long, and the Irish defense is not only peaking but could dominate this matchup on Saturday night.
Notre Dame has tremendous talent on all three levels, including upfront along the defensive line, where they should have a decided advantage in this one. The Irish have an All-American at safety, and a solid No. 1 cornerback in Cam Hart, so that combination should neutralize London, making life very difficult for Slovis against a good pass rush.