Fighting Irish 7.5 Point Home Favorites Over Rival Trojans

• The Notre Dame Fighting Irish look to win their 36th straight game as a favorite as they lay 7.5 points to USC.
• USC will look to win their eighth straight road game when they visit Notre Dame Saturday with both teams fresh off a bye week.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – One of the best games on Saturday’s college football slate features the Notre Dame Fighting Irish playing host to the rivaling USC Trojans.

The Fighting Irish opened as 6.5 point favorites on legal sportsbooks, but betting action has since moved the line to 7.5 points.

Both Notre Dame and USC were on a bye last week.

The Trojans have covered the spread in four straight road games, winning seven straight road games outright. Notre Dame has won each of their last 35 games as a favorite outright, and have won each of the last three meetings between the two teams.

USC fell to the Utah Utes in their last game before the bye, with interim head coach Donte Williams hinting at major gameplan and personnel changes from the Trojans coming out of their bye week.

“(We need to be) making sure that we’re playing the right guys … calling the right plays … doing things the right way,” said Williams.

This new game plan will likely involve getting the ball in wide receiver Drake London’s hands: to this point in 2021, London has tallied 832 receiving yards on 64 receptions, adding a team-leading five touchdowns.

His 832 receiving yards rank fourth in the NCAA.

Drake has a total receiving yards prop set at 118.5 yards (-114) for this matchup with the Fighting Irish, a number he has surpassed in five of his six games in 2021.

Notre Dame has won 30 straight games outright when favored by 6 or more points; however, they have not been great against the spread as a favorite recently, covering the spread in just 4 of their last 12 games in which they were favored by 6 points or more.

However, there is one trend that may excite Notre Dame bettors: Notre Dame has won 12 of coach Brian Kelly’s last 14 games immediately following a bye week, winning by an average margin of 15 points.

Quarterback Jack Coan was benched last week against Virginia Tech but is expected to start against the Trojans. Expect the experienced Coan to use the benching as motivation and come out firing in this rivalry game.

Coan has a total passing touchdowns prop of 1.5 (+114), a number he has surpassed in half of Notre Dame’s 2021 games.

News tags: Brian Kelly | College Football | Donte Williams | Drake London | football | Jack Coan | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | USC Trojans | Utah Utes