NOTRE DAME vs. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ? November 27th, 8:10 pm
Pete Carroll is no dummy and if you think that the scheduling of Notre Dame at this point in the season is a coincidence, then you are. As everyone in the free world is aware, Notre Dame?s games are all televised nationally by ABC which assures Coach Carroll the type of undivided attention of the pollsters that he wants. The Trojans were not exactly pleased with the snubbing they received last year when they were not invited to the Sugar Bowl to play for the undisputed national championship, and instead, had to be content with the AP title. Do not expect them to jeopardize their chance to go to the big show this time while the entire country is watching.
The last two games between these two teams ended in nearly identical 44-13 and 45-14 wins by Southern Cal with a 1,161 to 388 total yardage edge in those matches. "That is in the past," said Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn. "It's not something that we really think about." Yeah, right. While it may appear to some that the Irish should stand a better chance this time, they really don?t. Since Vegas began taking wagers on NCAA football, Notre Dame has never been a three touchdown underdog. That?s right, NEVER! Any guesses why they are getting 23 points spotted to them this week?
The Fighting Irish are at their best when they can run the ball, which won't be easy to do this week against the Trojans who rank 2nd nationally in rush defense and are allowing only 69.2 rushing yards per game. Passing against USC is not exactly a walk in the park either as they have only allowed over 200 yards passing in three games. There you have two of the reasons that the Trojans currently are the unanimous choice for the No. 1 team in the country.
Two weeks ago, Pittsburgh QB Tyler Palko was able to drop five touchdowns and 331 yards passing on the Irish at home. What kind of success do you think UCS QB Matt Leinart is going to have with one of the best home field advantages in the land? The Irish secondary is their biggest weakness and has been absolutely lit up in all four of their losses, with BYU, Purdue, Boston College and Pittsburgh averaging 348.3 passing yards. That's a scary thought with Heisman frontrunner Leinart taking aim this week.
The storied Notre Dame program which was for years, loaded with talent, has frankly had a difficult time recruiting recently. The hope of the school was that by bringing in Ty Willingham as head coach they could turn that unfamiliar trend around. Well, they haven?t. At virtually every position on the field, the talent level of USC?s players is head and shoulders above that of Notre Dame again this year and there is nothing the Golden Domers can do about it but prepare for a third consecutive throttling at the hands of Carroll?s boys.
Southern California (-23)
Pete Carroll is no dummy and if you think that the scheduling of Notre Dame at this point in the season is a coincidence, then you are. As everyone in the free world is aware, Notre Dame?s games are all televised nationally by ABC which assures Coach Carroll the type of undivided attention of the pollsters that he wants. The Trojans were not exactly pleased with the snubbing they received last year when they were not invited to the Sugar Bowl to play for the undisputed national championship, and instead, had to be content with the AP title. Do not expect them to jeopardize their chance to go to the big show this time while the entire country is watching.
The last two games between these two teams ended in nearly identical 44-13 and 45-14 wins by Southern Cal with a 1,161 to 388 total yardage edge in those matches. "That is in the past," said Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn. "It's not something that we really think about." Yeah, right. While it may appear to some that the Irish should stand a better chance this time, they really don?t. Since Vegas began taking wagers on NCAA football, Notre Dame has never been a three touchdown underdog. That?s right, NEVER! Any guesses why they are getting 23 points spotted to them this week?
The Fighting Irish are at their best when they can run the ball, which won't be easy to do this week against the Trojans who rank 2nd nationally in rush defense and are allowing only 69.2 rushing yards per game. Passing against USC is not exactly a walk in the park either as they have only allowed over 200 yards passing in three games. There you have two of the reasons that the Trojans currently are the unanimous choice for the No. 1 team in the country.
Two weeks ago, Pittsburgh QB Tyler Palko was able to drop five touchdowns and 331 yards passing on the Irish at home. What kind of success do you think UCS QB Matt Leinart is going to have with one of the best home field advantages in the land? The Irish secondary is their biggest weakness and has been absolutely lit up in all four of their losses, with BYU, Purdue, Boston College and Pittsburgh averaging 348.3 passing yards. That's a scary thought with Heisman frontrunner Leinart taking aim this week.
The storied Notre Dame program which was for years, loaded with talent, has frankly had a difficult time recruiting recently. The hope of the school was that by bringing in Ty Willingham as head coach they could turn that unfamiliar trend around. Well, they haven?t. At virtually every position on the field, the talent level of USC?s players is head and shoulders above that of Notre Dame again this year and there is nothing the Golden Domers can do about it but prepare for a third consecutive throttling at the hands of Carroll?s boys.
Southern California (-23)
