BCS Rankings: Win over USC Will Solidify Notre Dame as Top 25 Team

Notre Dame started the season overrated. A lot of teams start the season overrated, but their first two games solidified their place as one of the overrated teams.

Truthfully, even now they still might be a little overrated. No, they aren't in the rankings, but they are still being talked about as a potential BCS team, which is pretty amazing, given that they have already lost two games.

Right now, Notre Dame's best win came against Michigan State. That was a dominant performance against the Spartans. We'll have to see how big that win was. Tonight, the Wisconsin vs. Michigan State game will go a long way in answering that.

Also tonight, Notre Dame faces a team that also gets more attention than they probably deserve, in the USC Trojans. The Fighting Irish will beat the Trojans for the second year in a row and the first time in South Bend since 2001.

This isn't to say that USC can't beat Notre Dame. The Irish have certainly been vulnerable at times. They have a tendency to allow big plays and turn the ball over. If either of those show up too often in this game, USC will win.

But Notre Dame is a much better team, and they're playing at home. Michael Floyd is a receiver who almost can't be stopped. Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray make for a strong duo. The three of them, along with quarterback Tommy Rees, will do quite well against the thin Trojans defense.

USC's best chance in this game is for Matt Barkley to connect early and often with Robert Woods in a good old fashioned shootout. Even if that happens, Notre Dame's chances aren't bad.

So, assuming this win happens, why does Notre Dame deserve to be ranked? Well, they would have won five games in a row. Included in that stretch would be home wins against Michigan State and USC, and a road win against a tough Pittsburgh team.

You can make a case that they're overrated—but if Notre Dame wins this game, they will take a rightful place in the Top 25.