USC Football: Trojans Enter Matchup as Underdogs Against Arch Rivals

Despite losing 33-20 on the road to Louisville Saturday evening, Notre Dame enters next week's matchup against the 6-0 University of Southern California Trojans as a 2.5-point favorite according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

USC struggled at home against an Arizona team that now sits at 3-3 on the season. The Trojans went to triple overtime in a thriller at the Coliseum against a Wildcat team that was a 21-point underdog going into the game.

Caleb Williams and the USC offense started the game with three consecutive three-and-outs followed by a punt, easily the worst start to a game Williams and the Trojans have seen all season.

In the meantime, Arizona took advantage of a defense that really struggles to tackle in the open field as the Wildcats climbed to a 17-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Williams and the USC offense turned it on in time, but they could have easily lost to a far inferior team with their backup quarterback, Noah Fifita — who performed admirably, racking up 5 passing touchdowns.

Notre Dame has faced some tough competition this season, losing a close game to No. 6 Ohio State and winning on the road against a tough Duke team.

However, they are not without flaws. 

Quarterback Sam Hartman, who transferred to South Bend from Wake Forest, is a true talent with a strong arm and an ability to tuck it and run it when needed. 

But he had problems forcing or holding onto the ball against Louisville, throwing three interceptions and getting sacked five times.

USC's defense hasn't faced an offensive line as good as Notre Dame's and they will likely struggle against running back Audric Estime, a 5-foot-11, 227-pound back who will break plenty of tackles based on the performances USC has put together.

Caleb Williams has consistently shown that he can keep up with any offense, but the slow start we saw Saturday would be incredibly difficult to overcome against Notre Dame.

But, with a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback who has only lost three games in his USC career, leaving Notre Dame with the win is nowhere near out of the realm of possibility.

The Trojans will next take on the 5-2 Notre Fighting Irish this coming Saturday, October 14th, at 4:30 p.m.

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