Notre Dame vs USC Prediction

By Michael Robinson: History is in the making this Saturday in Columbus as two 11-0 teams do battle, with the winner going to the national championship game. The fact that these are two of the nation’s top programs, and fierce rivals, just makes it even better.

Notre Dame (+7) at USC

When Notre Dame has the ball

Quarterback, Brady Quinn is a Heisman Trophy candidate and a potential number one pick in the 2007 NFL draft. He has over 3,000 yards passing, 32 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Quinn has thrown only one pick since September 23rd, and he has been carving up Notre Dame’s lesser competition of late like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Quinn and the nation’s 9th ranked passing offense are able to beat most opponents all by themselves. Against USC though, they will need the balance of the running game and that is where Darius Walker comes in.

Walker has 1,083 rushing yards on the year and has been far more productive in the second half. That is a little troublesome as his best efforts have come against the likes of Army, Air Force, Stanford and Purdue. Against better teams like Michigan, Penn State, and UCLA, Walker has struggled badly.

The USC defense well played early on, mediocre in the middle part of the schedule, and now are back full bore. In their last three games against Stanford, Oregon, and California, USC gave up a total of 19 points.

When USC has the ball

USC came into this season without quarterback Matt Leinart and running back Reggie Bush, two gigantic weapons that brought the Trojans two national titles.

The 2005 squad was an offensive juggernaut averaging almost 50 points per game. This year, the offense is averaging 31.1 points per game, giving them enough firepower to win most games.

Junior quarterback, John David Booty has only one game this year of over 300 yards passing, but USC may be forced to throw more to keep up with Notre Dame. With receivers like Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith running around, this offense is capable of exploding.

Of course, USC also wants to run the ball, and a new back has emerged in freshman C.J. Gable. Gable had 91 yards rushing against California last week, and also had a 35 yard reception and a 33 yard kickoff return. This kid is clearly dangerous every time he touches the ball, although he is no longer their secret weapon.

The Notre Dame defense is 39th in the country against the pass, and 49th against the run. Safety Tom Zbikowski and defensive end Victor Abiamiri are big-time players, and both could be first round picks in the NFL draft, but overall this unit is not playing to the level of USC right now.

Game Summary

Notre Dame Coach, Charlie Weis knows a little bit about coaching in big games. Weis won three Super Bowls as an offensive coordinator with New England, and he will develop a scheme to create mismatches against the USC defense.

Ironically, Trojans Coach, Pete Carroll was the New England head-man right before Weis came along with Bill Belichick. Carroll knows that his team has the superior speed, especially on defense, and he will try to rattle Quinn into making uncharacteristic mistakes.

Ultimately, USC gets a slight nod as they are at home and they can taste the national championship game. However, this should be a very close game that could be won by either squad.

Prediction: USC 28, Notre Dame 27

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