For the first time since 2005, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a chance to hand the USC Trojans their first loss of the season. The No. 10 Trojans (6-0) have hardly been tested this season, but USC has done the only thing it could do, win the games on the schedule.
Meanwhile, the No. 21 Irish (5-2) have lost two of their last three games, all three games being against tougher foes than anyone the Trojans faced. Notre Dame no longer has the Playoff aspirations that USC does, but that does not change the weekly motivation, Irish defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste said in this week’s “ND on NBC Podcast.”
“When you sign up for college football, this is what you sign up for,” the sixth-year Ohio State transfer said. “You don’t come to college football not being a competitor. When you look at our schedule and the culture that we have as a team, this is what we signed up for. This is what we want to do. This is what we love to do.
“You have to have that fire burning deep down inside of you to do it.”
Assuredly, the Trojans feel the same way about taking an unbeaten record into a road environment as underdogs in what should be wind and rain on Saturday night.
“It’s a great rivalry, one of the greatest rivalries in college football,” USC quarterback Caleb Williams said this week.
The defending Heisman Trophy winner has experienced at least one other top-tier rivalry, beginning his career at Oklahoma.
“No matter how good the teams are, no matter how bad the teams are, it’s just like Oklahoma and Texas, when you play against a team like that,” Williams said. “With the sense of rivalry, the game is always a little bit harder than what the teams’ records are or whatever the case may be.
“We prepare that way, we prepare really hard. We prepare for whatever comes and you have that understanding in your mind that it’s going to be a little tougher than you think.”
How to watch No. 10 USC Trojans vs No. 21 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- When: Saturday, October 14th
- Where: Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET (pregame coverage begins at 7:00pm ET)
- TV Network: NBC
- Streaming: Peacock
What other College Football games air on NBC and Peacock on Saturday?
Ahead of USC at Notre Dame, Ohio State heads to Purdue at 12 ET on Peacock, and Illinois faces Maryland at 3 ET on NBC and Peacock.
How can I watch College Football on Peacock?
Notre Dame, the Big Ten and more are available all season long on NBC and Peacock. Sign up for Peacock here.
What devices support Peacock?
You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices. View the full list of supported devices here.
