USC vs. Notre Dame Prediction, Picks & Odds: Who'll Win in College Football Week 8?

College football Saturday is around the corner, and I’m here to cook up our USC vs. Notre Dame prediction and picks as our college football picks series continues. The action is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. (NBC/Peacock).

Notre Dame is a 9.5-point betting favorite for Saturday’s action – despite USC coming off a dominant win over Michigan. Make sure to check out the rest of our college football predictions for Week 8 so that you don’t miss any winning plays, including the below pick against the spread.

🏈 USC vs. Notre Dame prediction

College football picks for Week 8; odds subject to change.

• Game prediction: USC +9.5 (-105 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Over/Under pick: Under 61.5 (-110 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐

🆚 Who will win USC vs. Notre Dame?

The market expects Notre Dame will win this game, as they’re sizable betting favorites, but I think USC is better than the market believes. Remember, this Notre Dame team dropped games to both Miami and Texas A&M to start the season. Their strong recent performances are encouraging, but this game should be closer than the market thinks. Don’t be surprised if USC pulls off the upset.

✅ Best USC vs. Notre Dame bet

🗡️ USC +9.5 (-105) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

USC isn’t a perfect team, and there are some big names injured at the running back position, but they are far better than the betting odds would have you believe. While running backs are important, USC was able to get a whopping 158 yards on 18 carries from reserve King Miller – 8.8 yards per rush attempt – largely due to a dominant offensive line. USC nearly leads college football in offensive line yards per rush (3.7). With Notre Dame missing a key defensive tackle and already ranking well below average in defensive line yards per rush, the ground game should be an asset for USC.

Finding success on the ground will be crucial to take the pressure off young quarterback Jayden Maiava, who looks a fair bit better than Notre Dame’s CJ Carr. Maiava ranks second among all signal-callers in passing efficiency score (185.7) and third in passing yards per game (308.7). Meanwhile, Carr ranks a solid sixth (176) and 18th (270.3) in those metrics. The Fighting Irish probably have an advantage in the secondary, making Maiava’s life more difficult than Carr’s on Saturday, but I make the margin much closer than 9.5 points.

The market is overreacting to USC’s banged-up backfield. Buy the Trojans to cover the +9.5 for -105 (51.2%) at FanDuel to score an $9.52 profit on a $10 bet.

⚖️ USC vs. Notre Dame score prediction: USC 28-Notre Dame 27

Track the latest college football scores for line movement and matchup info.

⬇️ Under 61.5 (-110) ⭐⭐⭐

Both sides of this matchup have some impressive assets in the ground game. USC has one of, if not the, best offensive lines at run blocking. Notre Dame may have the best running back tandem in Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. The Irish rank 46th in rushing play percentage (54.7%) and 95th in seconds per play (27.5), so if they get out to an early lead, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the rushing attack grind down the clock and depress the scoring.

The same could be true if USC gets out to an early lead, too, however. Despite all of Maiava’s passing output, the Trojans are still 61st in rushing play percentage (53%). They play even slower than Notre Dame, too, as they rank 105th in seconds per play (28.2). The total for this contest opened at 53.5 during the offseason but has spiked to as high as 61.5 – let’s go Under that number for -110 (52.4%) at BetMGM to score a $9.09 profit on a $10 bet.

📊 USC vs. Notre Dame odds

Latest college football odds updated live in real time.

📺 How to watch USC vs. Notre Dame

• Date: Saturday, Oct. 18
• Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where: Notre Dame Stadium (Notre Dame, Ind.)
• TV: NBC/Peacock