Beat SC

Three weeks ago, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost to Oklahoma and suddenly had a season record of 3-2. The defense was playing way below the level set by last year’s team. The offense showed flashes of brilliance but often sputtered into three-and-outs. If the Irish had any hopes of a BCS Bowl then they had to defeat Arizona State in the 2013 Shamrock Series game in Dallas. From the get go, the Irish proved that they were not going to go down easily. The Arizona State Sundevils have one of the best offenses in the country and the Irish held them to only 13 points in the first three quarters. The Irish dominated most of the game but had to recover an onside kick to seal the game and earn a 38-34 victory.

The Irish had a bye last weekend and got a chance to watch this week’s opponent and their new coach get a win over Arizona. That opponent is the University of Southern California. The USC Trojans are 4-2, same as the Irish. There are no doubts, by either side, on how huge of a rivalry this is. Notre Dame vs. USC is the most prominent intersectional rivalry in all of college football. On a personal level, I hate USC. I have everything about them. I hate the fight song. I hate the players. I hate their fans. This is the game I look forward to the most every season.

It seems like the Irish are finally coming together and playing at a high level. The defensive line is getting pressure on the quarterback and making stops on running plays. The cornerbacks and linebackers still have room for improvement but they are getting there, slowly but surely. On offense, it comes down to Rees. His passing game has to be considered a legitimate threat to open up the rushing attack.

Keys to the game

Accuracy by Rees- USC’s weakness on defense is their secondary. Plus, they are going to do what every Irish opponent has done this season: force Tommy Rees to pass. So far, this technique has worked. If the Irish cannot have success on the ground then Rees has to his targets. Way too often Rees overthrows his receivers downfield. He has to get the timing down and get the ball into the receivers’ hands.

Energy- Last week was the first time it looked like the Irish were having a fun time on the field. This game is going to be played under the lights at Notre Dame Stadium. It may be nerve-wracking at first but the players have to turn the energy and electricity into something positive. They need to feed off the crowd. Plus, USC has not played in an environment like they will tonight. The Irish need to use the crowd to rattle the Trojans.

Turnover Battle- Notre Dame forced three turnovers while only giving up one against Arizona State. That trend has to continue if the Irish want to win.

My prediction: Notre Dame- 27. USC- 18

Predictions

I did not post my picks here last week but I did post them on Twitter. I went 7-3 last week and now stand at 46-24 on the season.

Purdue Boilermakers at Michigan State Spartans

#15 Georgia Bulldogs at Vanderbilt Commodores

#11 South Carolina Gamecocks at Tennessee Volunteers

#22 Florida Gators at #14 Missouri Tigers

Ball State Cardinals at Western Michigan Broncos

#24 Auburn Tigers at #7 Texas A&M

Indiana Hoosiers at Michigan Wolverines

#8 UCLA Bruins at #13 Stanford Cardinal

USC Trojans at Notre Dame Fighting Irish

#5 Florida State Seminoles at #3 Clemson Tigers

-probably first time I picked all home teams