Expert College Football Picks: USC Trojans Vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

This weekend one of the biggest games of the week will take place between Notre Dame and USC. This game has been one of the best rivalry games over the years and this one should be no different. As far as free football picks go in recent years, the Trojans have pretty much dominated the series over the Fighting Irish.

USC is always a pro factory and has several first-round talents on the roster. While this year is no different, the Fighting Irish are 4-1 coming into this game and appear to be ready to compete. With Jimmy Clausen under center, the Irish have a superior passing game.

USC Trojans Picks: The Trojans were supposed to be world beaters going into the season as always. All of that changed when Washington pulled off a dramatic upset and knocked the Trojans off of their pedestal.

However, since then they have played some pretty good football and have not lost. During that one loss, they were without starting quarterback Matt Barkley. He will play in the game this weekend and should be ready to move the Trojan offense down the field. Although Barkley is only a freshman, he has already shown that he can show up in big games.

He lead the team on a game-winning drive against Ohio State, which was the biggest game they have been in until this weekend. The Trojans also have a stellar running game that has done well so far in the season. The big question for the Trojans is whether or not they can stop the Notre Dame offense.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Picks: The Fighting Irish under Charlie Weis appear to finally have their stuff together this season. The last few seasons they have come in and underwhelmed.This season they come in with a good record and have played well in recent weeks. They have one of the most potent passing attacks in the land with quarterback Jimmy Clausen and wide receiver Golden Tate.

Tate is the kind of playmaker that can open up a ball game with his speed. If he gets deep on the Trojans early on, they could have a hard time stopping them. Once they start to open up the field, the safeties usually start cheating back and it opens running lanes for the Irish ground game.

The offensive line has really improved this season and they are opening up some holes for the running backs. The Irish defense is led by several veteran players and they can play with the best of them. If they can get some confidence against quarterback Matt Barkley early in the game, they could shut him down.

Outlook: If your looking for Free College Football Picks expect this to be one of the all-time classic battles in Notre Dame and USC history. This is probably the most even game that we have seen out of this rivalry in several years. They both boast potent offenses as well as strong defenses. This game will be decided by whichever team shows up to play and who has the ball last.

Check out Vernon Croy’s Expert College Football Picks this week.

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