Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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38 OCT. 18, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: SOUTHERN CAL in 2023 and seven in 2024. What's it going to be in 2025? Conversely, Freeman's Fighting Irish pounding Ri- ley's Trojans two years ago was the start of a 22-5 spurt through Week 6 of this season. That includes the Northern Illinois hiccup. Even with it, what Freeman is doing at Notre Dame right now is light years beyond what Riley has been able to muster at Southern Cal. Or hasn't been able to muster. Advantage: Notre Dame INTANGIBLES It's been since 2011 that Southern Cal has won in South Bend. That was the second year of the Brian Kelly era. The Fighting Irish have held serve at home against their bitter rival six times since then. Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman has two tastes of home victory over the Trojans during his time with the Irish, once as a defensive coordinator in 2021 and then as a head coach in 2023. Notre Dame also got the best of Southern Cal last year in Los Angeles, which sets the Irish up for the chance to win this rivalry game for the third consecutive time. The last time Southern Cal won it three times in a row was 2007-09. The Irish have performed well in night games at Notre Dame Stadium in the Freeman era. Even their losses (2023 versus Ohio State and this year against Texas A&M) have been competitive. Their wins have been drillings — with a 35-14 statement versus Clemson in 2022 and a 48-20 punctuation mark against Southern Cal in 2023 coming to mind. The Trojans don't travel particularly well, es- pecially knowing South Bend has been a house of horrors for them, so this has the makings of a mighty fun night for the Fighting Irish. Advantage: Notre Dame Staff Predictions Todd D. Burlage: Notre Dame 31, Southern Cal 24 On the strong and accurate arm of redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava, the Trojans feature one of the best offenses in the country, and the best passing offense Notre Dame will face this season. Through his first five games, Maiava — a legit Heisman candidate — ranked second in the country with 317.40 passing yards per game, and had 11 touchdowns with only 1 interception. After a slow start, the Irish have made steady strides in pass defense, and that improvement will continue in this one. Notre Dame finds a way to win a close game against the toughest opponent left on its schedule. Steve Downey: Notre Dame 34, Southern Cal 31 With the Trojans coming to town, we should find out if the defensive improvement we saw against Arkansas and Boise State is real. Southern Cal redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava had a coming out party against the Irish last year, throwing for 360 yards and 3 touchdowns against their very stingy 2024 pass defense before two late pick sixes secured the win. Maiava and junior wide receiver Makai Lemon have been sensational this year, fueling an aerial attack that led FBS with 25 completions of 20 or more yards while averaging 338.0 passing yards per game through Week 6. The Irish have won six of the last seven in this series, though, and have proven to be very good offensively themselves. Notre Dame will win a close one nearly 20 years to the day of the infamous "Bush Push." Eric Hansen: Notre Dame 38, Southern Cal 30 The Chad Bowden Bowl? Given the recruiting momentum by Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame over the past few months and the strong fit of first-year general manager Mike Martin, Bowden's winter departure to become Southern Cal's GM is nothing more than a back-burner storyline in the last con- tracted game in the 99-year-old rivalry. What is front and center is which defense has improved the most over the course of the season in a game pairing two of the nation's more potent offenses. That and the Eastern and Central time zones being Southern Cal's Kryptonite (1-11 record since 2014) tip the scales toward the Irish. Tyler Horka: Notre Dame 45, Southern Cal 28 When these two teams have gotten together lately, the expectation is for a lot of points to be put on the board. And the expectation is for the Fighting Irish to win the game. They've done so in six of the last seven meetings. Notre Dame should have enough firepower to combat that of the Trojans to make it seven of the last eight. Southern Cal has a powerful offense of its own, but as we saw in Los Angeles last November, it still isn't enough to overcome defensive deficiencies. And this Irish offense is much improved from the one that was able to dispatch the Trojans by a final of 49-35 in the 2024 regular-season finale. That was aided by two pick sixes, of course, but the point still stands; Notre Dame is a better team, all things considered, than this Southern Cal squad. Tyler James: Notre Dame 41, Southern Cal 38 Southern Cal will bring to Notre Dame Stadium the best offense the Irish have faced this season. Quarterback Jayden Maiava, running back Waymond Jordan and wide receiver Makai Lemon will all test the Irish's defensive improvements. Maiava found plenty of success against the Irish last season until he got himself into trouble with interceptions. The good news for Notre Dame's defense is that this version of Notre Dame's offense should be just as capable of putting up points against a shaky Southern Cal defense. Redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr will win a high-scoring contest with gaudy stats of his own. Kyle Kelly: Notre Dame 42, Southern Cal 28 Could this be the final time Notre Dame and Southern Cal meet in South Bend for a regular-season contest? With no game between the Irish and Trojans scheduled beyond 2026, I expect Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman to have his team exceptionally prepared and focused. That will result in another statement Notre Dame win and a sixth straight one against the Trojans at home. Jack Soble: Notre Dame 42, Southern Cal 31 If there was ever a game for Leonard Moore to shadow the opponent's best receiver throughout a game, it's this one. Southern Cal wideout Makai Lemon is the most productive wideout in the Power Four, and Notre Dame will need to help out its nickel back — especially if Alabama transfer DeVonta Smith (calf) can't go. Still, we can break down all the matchups we want when Southern Cal has the ball and none of it answers the question, "How can the Trojans stop the Irish?" I don't think they can, and I'll believe Southern Cal can beat a tough, physical team on the road when I see it. Through five games this season, redshirt senior linebacker Eric Gentry had a team-high 35 tack- les and 7 stops for loss. PHOTO COURTESY SOUTHERN CAL ATHLETICS