Notre Dame football score predictions: Fighting Irish vs. USC staff picks

Notre Dame takes on Southern Cal in Los Angeles on Saturday. Here’s how five Blue & Gold staffers see the game between the No. 5 Fighting Irish (10-1) and Trojans (6-5) going.

Tyler Horka: Notre Dame 27, USC 17

This one could be wacky and wild. A lot of times, rivalry games in the final week of the regular season go that way. A lot of times, the lesser team ends up winning, too, because, well, you know what they say — throw the records out when two teams that are playing on pure adrenaline and hatred get together on the gridiron.

I think this is a more calculated matchup for the Fighting Irish, though, given what’s at stake. And it might lend itself to some mistakes on the grounds of nerves, but it will also lend itself to a controlled style of play. It could be close for a while, but I do think the better team does enough to win in the end.

Kyle Kelly: Notre Dame 35, USC 16

The last time the Irish were in Los Angeles to face the Trojans, eventual Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams proved to be a headache for Al Golden’s defense. With Notre Dame among the best in the nation in most categories this time, I don’t see how Southern Cal outscores the Irish. Meanwhile, USC’s defense is improved from a year ago, but I like Notre Dame to cash in for five scores to end the 2024 regular season on a high note.

Jack Soble: Notre Dame 27, USC 20

Notre Dame has treated every game like the Super Bowl since losing to Northern Illinois in Week 2. It’s why they’ve won each of those games by an average score of 42.9-10.6. But if the Irish beat Army in Week 12, this is legitimately Notre Dame’s Super Bowl (at least until Dec. 20).

This won’t be a 30-point win, but the Irish are a better team than the Trojans. Plus, a somewhat mistake-prone quarterback in Jayden Maiava making his third start of the season is not a recipe for success against Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden. The Irish will secure their spot as a top-eight seed in the College Football Playoff with a win in Los Angeles.

Todd D. Burlage: Notre Dame 34, USC 20

Almost three full seasons into a new chapter of USC football, the jubilation over the hiring of head coach Lincoln Riley in 2022 officially dried up when this highly hyped hire brought only diminishing returns. The honeymoon started out great, with Riley going 11-3 in his first season. But since then, Riley is only 14-10 since the start of the 2023 season, and the natives are growing restless.

The Trojans rank in the middle of the NCAA pack in nearly every statistical category on both sides of the football, more evidence that this is only an average program right now. That said, the USC-Notre Dame rivalry is one of the richest in college football, so records and rankings often mean little. The Irish have won five of the last six meetings, and with the way they play defense, make it six out of seven. Notre Dame caps its regular season with a tough and important road win.

Steve Downey: Notre Dame 31, USC 23

The Trojans’ first season in the Big Ten could not have begun much worse, with road defeats to the likes of Minnesota and Maryland en route to a 2-5 start in league play. Nevertheless, this does not figure to be an easy game for the Fighting Irish. USC is not lacking in talent and Los Angeles Coliseum has been a house of horrors for Notre Dame in the past (the Irish are 3-7 in their past 10 games there).

The Irish have prevailed in their past two season-ending, must-win games in Los Angeles, beating a 7-4 USC squad 22-13 in 2012 to secure a spot in the BCS title game and rallying from a 10-0 deficit to edge a 5-6 Trojans outfit 24-17 to earn a bid to the four-team College Football Playoff in 2018. The Irish are well positioned to extend that streak to three. Their offense has steadily improved all season and shouldn’t have a problem putting up points against a mediocre USC defense, while defensive coordinator Al Golden’s unit will force young Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava into enough mistakes to come away with another victory in LA.