Notre Dame is rolling. USC is reeling. Against the Fighting Irish, USC seems to have little chance at securing its sixth win, and subsequent bowl eligibility. Notre Dame, on the other hand, knows that if they win this game, they can advance to the playoffs.
What can go wrong?
Well for starters, this undefeated Notre Dame team has won close games against Ball State (24-16), Vanderbilt (22-17), and Pittsburgh (19-14). This USC team is bad, but it can feasibly catch Notre Dame on a bad play and squeak out a one possession game late.
This won’t happen, but if it does, these match-ups will be why.