Coming into this game, there was so much talk surrounding the rivalry between Notre Dame and USC. Would this be the last face-off between the two storied historic programs for the foreseeable future? With no contract extension agreed upon by either team, we may have seen the final game between these two, which would be awful in my opinion, as this is truly one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports, dating back to 1926.

On defense, USC is led by second-year Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn, the former UCLA DC and son of former Los Angeles Chargers Head Coach Anthony. Lynn’s defense has had its share of struggles this year, but last week was an impressive showing. Throughout this year, the Trojans’ front seven has been solid, but the secondary, minus S Bishop Fitzgerald, is where USC is getting burned consistently.

This week should provide a test for the seemingly improved Notre Dame defense against an electric USC offense. Offensively, the Trojans are led by Head Coach and playcaller Lincoln Riley. The former Oklahoma HC has compiled a 31-15 record at USC since taking over in 2022, with no conference titles or playoff appearances on his resume. For these reasons, Riley entered this season in a bit of a hot seat. However, a 5-1 start and top-25 ranking have quieted his critics for now.