Pinnacle    -10 -110     BET365  -10  -110  Sportsinteraction  -10  -110  888port  -10  -110

Posted at 8:00 AM ET. Odds are subject to change

Notre Dame -10 over USC

Notre Dame Stadium – South Bend, IN

7:30 PM ET. Let’s start with the obvious: when two ranked teams meet and one is nearly a double-digit favorite, it should make you stop and look twice. That’s exactly the setup here, as Notre Dame lays close to ten points against USC — a number that on the surface feels inflated, but in reality, tells the story the oddsmakers already know. When ranked teams collide and one is priced like this, it’s almost always a signal that perception and reality don’t match.

USC enters off a 31–13 dismantling of Michigan — a performance that put the Trojans back on the national radar. Outside of a last-minute field goal in the Illinois game earlier this year, USC would be undefeated and possibly ranked higher than the Irish. On paper, this looks like a talented, explosive team catching points in a marquee spot. And that’s exactly the bait.

Notre Dame may have two losses, but context matters. The Irish started the season 0–2, dropping heartbreakers to Miami and Texas A&M — both teams presently in the top five. Those defeats came by a combined four points, and each game turned on razor-thin margins: a field goal loss in Miami, a botched PAT against the Aggies to enable the last-minute escape. Since then, Marcus Freeman’s team has looked every bit the part of a national contender, dominating opponents on both sides of the ball and re-establishing the physical brand of football that’s become their hallmark.

Freeman also brings the intangibles edge. His players buy in. They respond. And in rivalry spots like this one, that emotional lift matters. USC, by contrast, remains heavily dependent on its offense. Notre Dame can match the firepower but their defense is starting to play like its normal self as well. With the Irish offense humming, USC may very well be playing from behind. Nevertheless, the market sees nine and a half points to a ranked side and thinks it’s too many points. That’s the problem. When something looks that easy, it usually isn’t. The Trojans are the sucker bet of this week — and we’ll have nothing to do with it. Lay the points.   

Take advantage of BET365's early MLB payout offer! 

For straight bets, if the team you back to win goes 5 runs ahead at any stage during the game, BET365 will pay out your bet in full regardless of whether the opposition comes back to win the game.

For parlays and Same Game Parlays, if a team you have backed goes 5 runs ahead, this selection will be marked as won within My Bets, with the remaining selections left to run.

Here is a wager we were paid out early on that would eventually lose. 

v