Notre Dame football on 'upset alert' vs the USC Trojans, says analyst

In 2022, the Notre Dame football team lost to USC. Last year, the demolished them, despite the fact that eventual No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, Caleb Williams was still at the helm for the Trojans.

This year, the Fighting Irish are taking on their bitter rivals while they are going through some growing pains. After beating UCLA last week, USC is just 6-5 and on its second quarterback.

And yet, there are more than a few people who think this weekend could be the first time the Notre Dame footbal team stumbles since they lost to Northern Illinois. Colin Cowherd thinks there is a real possibility, even though Freeman has been working hard this week to make sure there isn’t any kind of let down.

Notre Dame football on ‘upset alert’ according to Colin Cowherd

“Rivalry week and championship week. Anything can happen,” Cowherd said on Wednesday. “I’ll give you an example … I reversed my pick. I’m taking USC +7.5 points to keep it close on Notre Dame. Why? Full stadium in LA, Lincoln Riley’s emptying the tank, they got nothing to lose.”

“They feel good after beating UCLA and Notre Dame’s only faced two ranked teams since September. Every single USC game is close, the Coliseum will be lit. They’ve got playmakers. Notre Dame steps up in class. USC beat LSU, and they should have beaten Penn State in overtime at home. To me, it’s 27-26, 28-27. Don’t be shocked if Notre Dame gets bounced.”

It’s safe to say that no one will be “shocked” if the Irish lose to USC. It’s a rivalry game and the Blue and Gold have been playing like the season is on the line for weeks. A let down isn’t out of the question. But Notre Dame football hasn’t had many let downs this year.