No. 13 Notre Dame vs. USC picks and best bets for Week 8

Two of the biggest brands in college football will clash on national TV on Saturday night. This was expected to be a rebuilding season for the No. 13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and they should feel pretty good about themselves with just one loss through the first half of the season despite plenty of close calls. The USC Trojans have been inconsistent to this point in the post-Clay Helton firing, which took place after Week 2, and they are coming off a blowout loss to the Utah Utes last weekend.

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

SP+ Rankings

USC: 42 overall, 16 offense, 81 defense
Notre Dame: 14 overall, 39 offense, 12 defense

Injury update

USC

TE Michael Trigg - Out (leg)
LB Solomon Tuliaupupu - Questionable (knee)
OL Frank Martin II - Questionable (academics)
DL Maninoa Tufono - Questionable (academics)
WR Kyle Ford - Questionable (knee)
S Chris Thompson Jr. - Questionable (undisclosed)
RB Brandon Campbell - Questionable (undisclosed)
LB Drake Jackson - Questionable (foot)
DL Kobe Pepe - Questionable (shoulder)
DL Ishmael Sopsher - Probable (leg)

Notre Dame

RB Chris Tyree - Questionable (toe)
TE Michael Mayer - Probable (undisclosed)
OL Michael Carmody - Questionable (ankle)
OL Tosh Baker - Questionable (undisclosed)

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

USC: 3-3 ATS
Notre Dame: 3-3 ATS

Total

USC: Over 4-2
Notre Dame: Over 4-2

Returning/Overall Talent from 247Sports

USC: 8 overall, 9 offense, 6 defense
Notre Dame: 10 overall, 6 offense, 13 defense

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Notre Dame -7
Total: 58
Moneyline: Notre Dame -260, USC +210

Opening line: Notre Dame -4
Opening total: 53.5

Weather

57 degrees, 8 MPH wind, 15% chance of rain

The Pick

USC +7

Notre Dame’s biggest issue this season has been on their offensive line, and that’s an area that has yet to be fixed. That is the worst unit in this game, and it’s why we’re going with USC to cover this spread on the road. The Fighting Irish rank No. 120 in yards per rush attempt against FBS opponents. With that statistic, it’s tough to trust the Irish as full touchdown favorites.

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