No. 15 Notre Dame vs. No. 6 USC picks and best bets for Week 13 Rivalry Weekend matchup

The Irish and Trojans meet in a game as ‘SC still has a chance at the College Football Playoff.

By Erik Buchinger Nov 26, 2022, 6:04am PST

Southern California Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams and offensive lineman Mason Murphy celebrate the victory against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl.

The #6 USC Trojans set themselves up to make a strong case for a College Football Playoff spot, and a win over the #15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday night would be huge. The game will get started at 7:30 p.m. ET from Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and can be seen on ABC.

Here’s all the data you’ll want, and a pick for the game!

SP+ Rankings

Notre Dame: 38 overall, 64 offense, 32 defense
USC: 14 overall, 2 offense, 64 defense

Injury update

Notre Dame

WR Tobias Merriweather - Questionable (concussion)
S Brandon Joseph - Questionable (ankle)
TE Eli Raridon - Out for the season (knee)
TE Kevin Bauman - Out for the season (knee)
QB Tyler Buchner - Out for the season (shoulder)
WR Avery Davis - Out for the season (knee)
RB Jadarian Price - Out for the season (Achilles)

USC

RB Travis Dye - Out for the season (knee)
DB Joshua Jackson Jr. - Out indefinitely (undisclosed)
OL Jason Rodriguez - Out indefinitely (undisclosed)
DB Adonis Otey - Out indefinitely (undisclosed)
PK Garth White - Out indefinitely (undisclosed)
DB Briton Allen - Out indefinitely (knee)
LB Romello Height - Out for the season (shoulder)
QB Mo Hasan - Out indefinitely (Achilles)

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

Notre Dame: 6-5 ATS
USC: 7-4 ATS

Total

Notre Dame: Over 6-5
USC: Over 8-3

Overall Talent from 247Sports

Notre Dame: 10 overall
USC: 11 overall

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: USC -4.5
Total: 64.5
Moneyline: USC -195, Notre Dame +165

Opening line: USC -5
Opening total: 62.5

Weather

71 degrees, sunny, 5 MPH wind, 2% chance of rain

The Pick

Notre Dame +4.5

The Irish offense is far better than it was to open the season when they started the Marcus Freeman era 0-2, and Notre Dame will move the ball against a USC defense that ranks 95th in yards per play (5.8). The Trojans allowed at least 35 points in four of their last five games, and it may be tough to rely on a huge offensive performance against a Notre Dame defense that just pitched a shutout against the Boston College Eagles last week.