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Notre Dame at USC Football Picks & Betting Odds

Written by Jack Jones

Notre Dame will face a tough test this weekend when they head to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to take on the No. 5 USC Trojans. The Trojans stand at 9-1 and are still in contention for the national title, but they might not even with the Pac-10 due to their sole loss coming to Oregon State. Even with seven straight victories and three shutouts, USC is going to need some help and will have to hope some teams ahead of them will lose before the final rankings are released. The odds makers are doubting the Irish can hang with the Trojans since they have won 27 straight at home and USC is a 32 point favorite with the total set at 47.

Notre Dame on the other hand is coming off the low point of their season when they lost to Syracuse last weekend by a score of 24-23. It was the third defeat in the past four games by the Irish to drop Notre Dame to 6-5 on the year. The road has not been kind to the Irish as they are just 1-3 when traveling. The Irish have also lost six in a row to the Trojans and are coming off their worst loss in series history, a 38-0 defeat last season in South Bend.

The Notre Dame offense has been mediocre all year long. They look good one week and then terrible the next. The Irish are averaging 24.5 points per game and 367.9 total yards per game while doing most of their damage through the air rather than on the ground. The unit has posted 248.7 yards per game passing to only 119.2 yards per game rushing. Quarterback Jimmy Clausen has struggled with consistency, throwing for 2,730 yards and 20 touchdowns but also 15 interceptions. He has lost his top target in Michael Floyd due to a knee injury and is now relying on Golden Tate, who has 50 receptions for 888 yards and seven touchdowns. The running game is paced by Armando Allen who has 569 yards, but he also has 45 catches. Another problem the Irish have had is that they have 25 giveaways on the season.

The Irish defense hasn’t been too bad this year in holding opponents to 20.8 points and 316.5 yards per game. Notre Dame holds opponents to 139.7 rushing yards per game but only 176.7 passing yards. This team has been opportunistic as well in generating 20 turnovers. Last week this unit let the team down by allowing a pair of long touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, including the game winner with under a minute remaining. You can bet Notre Dame +33 at Bodog Life and get a 10% cash bonus!

USC’s offense has been nothing short of explosive this season with an average of 38.4 points per game on 451 total yards per game. The Trojans can beat you both ways, either by running the ball for 208.8 yards per game or by throwing it for 242.2 yards per game. Their 45% conversion rate on third down has enabled USC to extend drives all year long. The rushing attack is led by Stafon Johnson and CJ Gable. The pair have done a good job complimenting each other all seaosn long and have racked up 1,143 yards and 14 touchdowns. Quarterback Mark Sanchez has been steady with a 65% completion rate for 2,258 yards and 26 touchdowns while throwing just seven picks. His favorite targets are Damian Williams and Patrick Tuner. Williams has 38 catches for 553 yards while Tuneer has eight touchdowns and 503 yards.

As good as the offense is for the Trojans, the defense just may be better. USC is giving up just 8.3 points per game and ranks second in total yards allowed with 225.5 yards per game. The Trojans are holding opposing passers to just 132.3 yards per game and giving up just 90.2 rushing yards per game. You can bet on USC -32 to win this game at BetUS, where you can get up to 145% in signup bonuses!

Get the college football picks offered by our handicappers this weekend in order to win more with your football betting. Each week these experts spend hours going over the college football odds in order to make sure that you only get the top plays on the board.

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