USC vs. Notre Dame Week 8 Prediction
Rivals USC and Notre Dame will meet in South Bend for their annual meeting at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night. With the Irish listed as a 7-point favorite, will the home team continue to dominant this series from a betting standpoint?
Game Snapshot
407 USC Trojans (+7) at 408 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-7); o/u 59
7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, October 23, 2021
Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
TV: NBC
USC Trojans Game Notes
USC interim head coach Donte Williams said freshman QB Jaxson Dart is not medically cleared yet as of Tuesday evening. Dart (6’3″/215) was seen at practice on Tuesday throwing to the scout team. After having surgery to repair a torn meniscus just under four weeks ago, it’s no surprise that Dart has not been medically cleared yet. When he is medically cleared by team doctors, the QB situation with him and Kedon Slovis will be one to monitor. In his only extensive action at QB, Dart and the Trojans offense were on fire, completing 30-of-46 passes for 391 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions in a 45-14 win over Washington State.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Game Notes
Notre Dame redshirt freshman QB Brendon Clark entered the transfer portal. The writing was on the wall for Clark (6’1/212), as fellow redshirt freshman Drew Pyne took snaps earlier in the year when starter Jack Coan departed due to injury and true freshman QB Tyler Buchner came on in relief against Virginia Tech in Week 6. With highly touted four-star recruit Buchner looking like the future of the position, Clark’s path to playing time will be blocked for the foreseeable future. The former three-star prospect was originally committed to Wake Forest before flipping over to Notre Dame when Michigan QB Cade McNamara backed off his pledge to the Irish. He will attempt to challenge for playing time elsewhere in 2022.
Ohio State vs. Minnesota Betting Prediction
The favorite is 6-2 against the spread in the last eight meetings between these two teams, while the home team is 6-1 at the betting window in the last seven meetings. The Trojans are also just 5-14 against the spread in their last 19 games as an underdog, are 3-10 against the number in their last 13 non-conference games and are 3-12 ATS in their last 15 games as a road underdog.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 8 PREDICTION: NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH -7