Reporter Roundtable: Picks, predictions and perspective on USC-Notre Dame

The USC-Notre Dame rivalry is meant to always have great significance and importance, and it does this season.

But in very different ways for each side, it feels like.

The No. 9/10-ranked Fighting Irish (4-1) took their only loss to Georgia (No. 3 in the latest polls) in a competitive showdown on the road and have otherwise finished off their four wins by 15 or more points. They have College Football Playoff aspirations still and every week is a step toward those goals.

For USC, so much of the stakes Saturday night in South Bend, Ind., seemingly center around coach Clay Helton and his future. There's no shortage of buzz, opinions and conjecture on that front, and who knows what chance he really has to extend his tenure with a new president set to hire a new athletic director amidst a time of sweeping change for the university and its athletic department.

But if there is an evaluation still to be made, it stands to reason this is a crucial opportunity for Helton to start mounting a compelling last stand after a 3-2 start.

That is probably not how the players view this game, nor should they. But that's the lens through which many others do. Fittingly, much of the mounting angst that has developed toward Helton the last couple years concerns his struggles on the road and against top teams -- so the outcome Saturday night will either add more evidence on both those piles or perhaps be a launching point to try to prove something else the rest of this season.

That's not say a win over Notre Dame will in fact sway perception or narrative -- that seems too far gone for the most vocal critics, especially with USC's recruiting every bit as much of a spotlight issue as the 8-9 record on the field since the start of last fall.

The only point is to say that if there is still a chance for Helton, it would seemingly need to start with a win Saturday over a ranked Fighting Irish team on the road.

What would it take for the Trojans to pull that off? We debate and discuss ...

1. What do you expect from freshman QB Kedon Slovis on the road after nearly a month off (including his 2 snaps vs. Utah)?

Tajwar Khandaker: I think Slovis will be able to pull out another big game on Saturday. Notre Dame’s secondary has shown itself to be vulnerable when opposing quarterbacks have time, and I think Slovis is proficient enough to make them pay for it. Notre Dame’s pass rush is the strongest part of its defense, but the Trojans have been impressive all year long in pass protection. I expect them to give up some pressures and sacks, but for the most part I think the Notre Dame secondary will have to cover longer than it's used to. Slovis will have plenty opportunities to find his receivers in advantageous matchups, and I think he’ll manage to capitalize.

Ryan Young: The answer to this question depends entirely on how much stock one puts in the fact that Slovis threw 3 interceptions in his only other road start, at BYU. Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell dismissed any concern that Slovis was undone by that road environment (or that he'd be affected by this one), saying it was merely a bad game by a young QB and that Slovis has exhibited no signs of being intimidated by the moment in general. I tend to agree. I don't expect the young QB to be flawless -- because, well, he is a young QB going up against a top-10 team -- but I don't think he comes undone just because it's a road game. If USC can protect him, I expect Slovis to keep the Trojans in this game all the way and deliver a performance somewhere between his Stanford statement and his BYU blemish. I'm not sure I've ever covered a coach higher on a player than Harrell is on Slovis, but that said, I'm pretty high on Slovis' potential as well and I think this is another spotlight moment where he surprises some people.

2. What element of this matchup with Notre Dame is most concerning from a USC perspective?

Ryan: This may seem like a cop out, but it's just the thought I keep coming back to -- I think the biggest concern for USC is the Trojans being sloppy and Notre Dame playing a clean, disciplined game. We highlighted the turnover margin differential earlier this week -- the Fighting Irish are tied for second nationally in averaging +2 turnovers a game -- while the Trojans are tied for 122nd at -1.4 per game. Factor in penalties or miscues -- pretty much all the things Helton vowed to clean up in the offseason -- and I just think Notre Dame makes less mistakes. What I'm saying also, though, is that I think USC is talent-wise good enough to win this game and most every game. The Trojans were also good enough to beat BYU and Washington and, well ...

Tajwar: Once again, I think the biggest key for USC this week is to find a way for the pass-rush to be productive. Ian Book has been well protected all year, and he runs the Irish offense off of a steady rhythm for the most part. If the Trojans can actually create disruption and throw Book and Co. off schedule, the complexion of this game changes entirely. I’m not confident it’ll happen -- this front seven has been far too inconsistent for me to believe it will. Nonetheless, with Christian Rector getting an extra week to rest his injured ankle and a fresh Drake Jackson on the other end, who knows.

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