Notre Dame is not just winning games. The Fighting Irish has covered in seven straight, with the average margin in the last six just over 33 ppg. Their points differential in FBS is the largest. Southern Cal lacks the offensive oomph to hang with the high-octane foes. QB Jayden Maiava makes only his third start. Beware throwing downfield. Notre Dame prevents mid-to-long-range completions better than any other defense in the land.

We have to question who Notre Dame played in their nine-game win streak. Is the best team Georgia Tech? Maybe it's the Army. Or is it Louisville, maybe? But they certainly haven't played anybody strong during that run despite looking dominant with impressive scores. USC is 2-0 since inserting Jaden Maiava at quarterback and he's had four touchdowns in one interception along the way and seemed in control in both their wins against UCLA and Nebraska. The Notre Dame defense allows 273 yards per game which ranks No. 4 in the nation but in this rivalry, I'm on USC plus the points. The five USC losses are by a combined 19 points. Notre Dame has all the pressure of making a possible playoff. USC covers.

The Fighting Irish are a legitimate threat to win at least multiple games in the postseason, and this game acts as a playoff game of sorts for them. If they beat USC, they're guaranteed to make the College Football Playoff. If they lose this week, I think their strength of wins is weak enough to leave them out as a two loss team. The Fighting Irish have been wrecking teams of late, having won 9 of their last 10 games by double digits. Expect the trend to continue in Los Angeles this week. Notre Dame 34, USC 17.