No. 5 Notre Dame hits the road looking to claim the Jeweled Shillelagh in back-to-back years against bitter rivals USC. Bet365 has the Fighting Irish as 7.5-point favorites over the Trojans with the total coming in at 51.5 points.
Before we lay down the pick, gotta give you some numbers from their last meeting in 2023. Notre Dame (-3) rolled to an easy 48-20 win at home. The Over/Under was posted at 60.5 and went high.
Notre Dame vs USC Odds Week 14
Notre Dame vs USC, Nov. 30, 3:30 pm ET
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish | -7.5 (-110) | -290 | O51.5 (-110) |
| USC Trojans | +7.5 (-110) | +235 | U51.5 (-110) |
Odds as of Nov. 27 at bet365
Notre Dame vs USC pick week 14
Notre Dame -7.5 (-110) at bet365
Gotta start out with me shivering, a foot and a half of snow on the ground and the temps below freezing. That was back before we moved to Vegas. Back in upstate New York, we would watch the Notre Dame/USC game every year, bathed in sunshine, temps in the 70s. Not gonna mention the SPECTACULAR Southern Cal cheerleaders, but no matter how my bet came out, certainly one of the highlights of a cold and nasty East coast winter.
Okay, enough of early Eck and on to the money. And we're gonna dip into our exclusive LEGOmetrics. Yes Notre Dame is 10-1. Yes Notre Dame is No. 5 in the AP Top 25. Yes Notre Dame has moved up to No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings. But if you look at how this season has been built, LEGOmetrics, you would think that the Fighting Irish were contestants on The Great British Baking Show with SO MANY CUPCAKES on the schedule.
After an opening win against Texas A&M, the Irish lost to Northern Illinois, beat Purdue, Miami-Ohio, Louisville, Stanford, Georgia Tech, Navy, Florida State, Virginia and Army. But Eck, Army was 9-0 coming into the game. Yea sure, but the Cadets had more cupcakes on their counter than Sullivan & Bleeker Baking Co. in Toronto.
No one expected Lincoln Riley to be just average when he came over from Oklahoma with that amazing 55-10 record in five years and, and, mentored two QBs, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, to the Heisman Trophy. Riley hit the Heisman hat trick, guiding Caleb Williams to the Heisman in 2022. Which is why this year's results have been very disappointing.
Riley gave the job to Miller Moss to start the year, but he was benched after losing four of five games. Jayden Maiava was given the starting job against Nebraska, which USC won, and then he posted another W against archrival UCLA last week. Maiava's numbers have not been great (44 of 70 for 470 yards with 4 TDs and just 1 INT), but just good enough for a two game winning streak.
Saw an interview with Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman before the Army game, and he was JACKED. He told the reporter that he wanted his kids to play with VIOLENCE! The Irish will be playing this game with an eye on a top four slot in the playoff rankings. However, unless Texas loses to Texas A&M, the Irish would probably be looking at the No. 5 slot. That would be a home game against the No. 12 seed and a really good shot to advance. Not excited enough to do the entire Irish River Dance, which by the way, I KILL, but will just tap the wallet a few times with some Notre Dame green.
Notre Dame vs USC Betting Trends
- Notre Dame comes out to Southern California on a 7-0 spread run.
- Notre Dame has won and covered seven in a row on the road.
- USC is on a 5-0 spread run at home.
