USC Trojans vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish Prediction, 10/14/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: USC Trojans vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023

Location: Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, IN

TV: NBC

Odds/Point Spread: Fighting Irish (+1)

Total/Over-Under: 62.5

Notre Dame Stadium is where the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-2) will compete against the USC Trojans (6-0) on Saturday, October 14, 2023. USC opens this contest as 1-point favorites. The over/under is 62.5.

The USC Trojans head into this matchup 6-0 for this season. In their last matchup, the Trojans faced the Arizona Wildcats and went home with a win by a final score of 43-41. Caleb Williams finished 14/25 with 205 yards through the air and 1 TD. He had a quarterback rate of 138.1 and ended the game without throwing a pick. Marshawn Lloyd was the rushing leader for the Trojans with 15 carries for 86 yards (5.7 yards per carry). In the game, they ran 58 plays which totaled 351 yds. The USC Trojans ended up running the ball 33 different times and tallied 146 yds, which earned them an average of 4.4 yds per attempt. In the running game, the Trojans gave up 203 yds on 42 tries, which averages out to 4.8 yards per run allowed. USC gave up 25 pass completions on 35 tries for 303 yds, and a completion percentage of 71.4%.

When talking about putting the ball in the endzone, the USC Trojans hold an average of 51.8 points per outing. As a team they're averaging 168.2 yards rushing which is 55th in college football. The Trojans have earned 3,126 total yards over the course of this year. When it comes to notching touchdowns, USC has totaled 23 touchdowns through the air and 17 rushing touchdowns. USC has accounted for 151 1st downs offensively, and they have been called for 51 penalties for 472 yds. They have turned the football over 4 times.

The Trojans are sitting in 81st in the country regarding their opponents scoring, conceding 27.0 points per contest. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 4.2 yards per rushing attempt and 157.0 rushing yards per contest on the year. In total, they have conceded 942 yards via the running game in 6 games. Regarding yards via the pass, the Trojans are allowing 1,586 yards which ranks them 119th in college football. They are giving up 264.3 yards per game via the pass and giving up a completion percentage of 60.2%. For the season, they have yielded 421.3 yards per contest which puts them 112th in college football. They have allowed 15 touchdowns through the air in addition to 6 touchdowns running the ball.

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The Fighting Irish come into this matchup with a record of 5-2 for this season. When they last stepped on the gridiron, the Fighting Irish took a loss by a score of 33-20 against the Louisville Cardinals. Sam Hartman (2 touchdowns) finished the contest with 254 yds on 22/38 through the air while his quarterback rating was 115.6. He threw 3 picks and his Y/A was 6.7. Jeremiyah Love carried the rock 5 times for 37 yards, finishing the contest with 7.4 yards per attempt for Notre Dame. Notre Dame ended up running for 1.6 yds per carry, finishing with 44 yards on 28 carries. The Fighting Irish finished the game with 298 yards while running 66 plays (4.5 yds per play). The Fighting Irish passing defense gave up a completion percentage of 70.8%, relinquishing 145 yds on 17 out of 24 through the air. Notre Dame gave up 40 rush attempts for 185 yds (4.6 yards per rush).

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish maintain an average of 437.9 yards per game, which ranks them 34th in Division 1. The Notre Dame offense has compiled 355 yds of penalties on 42 infractions, which ranks 21st in Division 1 in terms of helping out the opposition. They have an average of 171.0 yards per game via the ground game and have run for 1,197 yards for this year. They have thrown 3 interceptions while losing 4 fumbles and they have been able to obtain 147 first downs. In relation to their ability to score points, the Fighting Irish are ranking 35th in Division 1 maintaining an average of 34.1 points per outing. During this campaign to this point, the Fighting Irish have thrown for a total of 1,868 yards through the air as well as an average of 266.9 passing yards per contest, which is ranked 41st in college football.

The Fighting Irish are giving up 15.9 points per game, which puts them 15th in college football. Notre Dame has yielded a total of 930 rushing yards (132.9 yards/game) and 8 touchdowns on the ground on the year. Overall, they have relinquished 111 pts. They have allowed 4 touchdowns through the air as well as 146.6 yards per outing, which has them sitting 3rd in the country. The Fighting Irish defense has taken the field for 441 plays, which has them sitting 118th in the country. They have compiled 2 fumbles and 6 picks so far this season.

Who will win tonight's Trojans/Fighting Irish college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Fighting Irish +1

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