Notre Dame Football: Projecting the Irish's Next 3 Games

After a less-than-perfect start to the season, Notre Dame has turned it on lately with a win over No. 15 Michigan State and a big road victory last week against Pittsburgh.

The Irish are looking to put everything together, as their next few matchups represent a definite mix in playing styles.

Here's a quick look at the Irish's next three games and what they might look like.

at Purdue

The Irish have proven themselves as a good road team after taking Michigan to the wire and knocking off Pittsburgh last week.

Notre Dame will likely be favored in this one, but the Boilermakers shouldn't be taken lightly.

Purdue runs the ball a lot, and they run it very well. Of course, the Irish have been terrific at stopping the run this year, so this one will be a strength versus strength matchup. 

On the other side of the ball, Purude has the propensity to get beaten through the air and that's where Notre Dame should beat the Boilermakers.

I expect this one to stay relatively low-scoring, but Notre Dame should pull off another road victory.

vs. Air Force

 Of course, if Purdue runs the ball a lot, Air Force really runs the ball a lot. With their triple-option offense, the Falcons run the ball 67 percent of the time, which is good for eighth most in the country.

They are effective too, averaging just under six yards per rush.

This is the type of offense that really frustrates teams, and I see the Falcons' run game being effective in this one.

Still, Air Force hasn't had to defend a pass game like Notre Dame's, and Michael Floyd should have a field day. The home field advantage will help the Irish in this one as they win a potential shootout.

vs. USC

In the last nine matchups between these two teams the Irish have only won once. That win, however, came last year and USC isn't nearly as good as they were in the 2000's. 

The Trojans just dropped out of the Top 25 and the Irish should be favored in this one at home.

With that being said, you can drop all projections out the window in this matchup that is really an exciting rivalry.

This one's going to turn into a battle of the passing games as USC's Robert Woods might be one of only a couple receivers in the country better than Michael Floyd. Woods already has 41 catches for 492 yards on the year.

This is another one that will turn into a shootout, and it will likely come down to whether or not the Irish have solved their turnover problem by then.