USC vs. Notre Dame Prediction, Odds, Spread and Over/Under for College Football Week 8

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will host the USC Trojans in Week 8 with the home team opening as -6.5 point underdogs. Both teams will be well-rested in this game as both are coming off their bye weeks. 

The Trojans are 3-3 and just 2-3 in the Pac-12 and are in desperate need of a game in the win column after dropping 2 of their last 3 games. In their last game, USC got smoked by Utah 42-26 in a brutal loss to their Pac-12 rivals.

Notre Dame, meanwhile, comes into this game with fresh legs off a bye with a 5-1 record. Their last time out saw them squeak by the VT Hokies 32-29 on a late-game field goal. 

Neither of these teams’ previous wins was pretty but the bye weeks will undoubtedly help sort out some of the issues on each side. 

Let’s break down a few USC/ND matchup stats and odds from WynnBET Sportsbook to make some money off this game. 

USC vs. Notre Dame Odds, Spread and Over/Under

Spread:

• USC +6.5 (-110)

• Notre Dame -6.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

• USC +220

• Notre Dame -260

Total:

• 58.0 (-110)

USC vs. Notre Dame Trends

• USC is 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games against Notre Dame but 1-4 SU in their last 5. 
• USC is on a 7 game road winning streak. 
• USC has covered 1 game in their last 5 on the road at ND. 
• ND has lost 1 game in their last 20 at home. 
• The OVER is 5-2 in Notre Dame’s last 7 games vs the Pac-12.

USC vs. Notre Dame and Pick

Both teams have a bit of QB drama entering this pivot week 8 matchup. The Trojans are expecting that freshman QB Jaxson Dart will be ready to go soon after recovering from a meniscus injury. If he returns this week, it will instantly set up a situation where the QB job will be up in the air halfway through the season. Current starter Kedon Slovis and Dart will not only be competing against the Irish but, perhaps with each other. It will be interesting to see which will step up. 

Notre Dame is dealing with QB drama of their own after the benching of senior starter Jack Coan after the first quarter of the VT game. He was replaced by freshman Tyler Buchner who proceeded to thrown 2 interceptions and was subsequently benched for Coan. The senior then led his team to a pair of scoring drives in the fourth quarter to save the day. 

The Irish are on a three-game winning streak against USC. Extend that to four in a row at home in South Bend. The pair took the year off last year due to the pandemic in what would be the only season they didn’t play each other since 1945. 

I do worry about Coan after the debacle that was the beginning of the VT game, but he really showed me something with that fourth-quarter performance and I think he comes back this week even better for it. Add to that the dominance that ND has shown at home and I think they end up with a win and a cover in this game. I worry that if Dart suits up for this game it will only serve to be a distraction to Slovis. Also, the two might split time which can really mess with a player’s rhythm. 

Prediction: Notre Dame -6.5 (110)