USC vs. Notre Dame Total Pick
The total keeps growing for No. 11 USC vs. No. 13 Notre Dame’s Saturday meeting at 7:30PM ET. Is the total getting too high to reach?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Notre Dame is slightly favored in this game, as the Fighting Irish are getting odds of -3.5 points against USC. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 65.5 right now after opening at 58 points. The home team has won the last four meetings in this series and these two have hit the over in three straight encounters. The public is currently putting 66 percent of the wagers on Notre Dame at home. Saturday’s game takes place from Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana and will air live on NBC.
USC is coming off a 28-27 win over Utah last week to improve to 6-1 on the season. The Trojans are 4-3 with the under, hitting it in both of their road games this year. USC is putting up 34.4 points and 477 yards per game on offense this season. Sam Darnold is leading the way with 2,063 passing yards and 15 touchdowns, but he also has nine interceptions. Deontay Burnett has caught 49 passes for 626 yards and six touchdowns while Ronald Jones II has run for 640 yards and eight scores. Defensively, USC is allowing 23.7 points and 385.4 yards per contest.
Notre Dame is coming off a 33-10 win at North Carolina two weeks ago to improve to 5-1 on the season and move to 4-2 with the over. The Irish are 2-1 with the over at home. The Irish are putting up 40 points and 471.3 yards per game behind a rushing attack that averages 308 yards per game. Josh Adams is leading the offense with 776 yards and five touchdowns. Quarterback Brandon Wimbush has thrown for 783 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 402 yards and eight scores. Wimbush missed last week’s game due to a foot sprain, but he is expected to play on Saturday. Defensively, Notre Dame is allowing 16.8 points and 365.7 yards per contest.
This is a tough one to call. The total is being set really high, but I think the defenses will actually step up on Saturday. The Irish have looked really good defensively this year and should be able to create some turnovers. The USC defense can pose a challenge to the Notre Dame ground game and make it tough for the Irish to score as easily as they have been. USC has hit the under in five of its last six on the road and in nine of its last 13 against a winning team. I think the under hits Saturday.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: USC/NOTRE DAME UNDER 65.5