The Anti-Preview: #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish VS USC Trojans

Welcome to YOUR Notre Dame Fighting Irish Anti-Preview people! That’s right — this is for you. If you’re unfamiliar with how these things work, this isn’t meant to serve as a TRUE preview (hence the name) nut it is here to serve you food, drink, clothes, and enough knowledge to use so you won’t die 10 minutes after you leave the house.

I’m your internet father — obey me. ON TO THE ANTI-PREVIEW!

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

USC Trojans

This is the team we generally refer to as “Southern Cal” because, well... screw ‘em. The Trojans are 3-2 on the year and will have freshman Kedon Slovis back from concussion protocol to make his 3rd ever career start. One of those starts was a loss to the BYU Cougars on the road — so yeah, he gets nervous around religion.

At 3-2 and led by a coach that is basically a dead man walking, Southern Cal comes from the mold of “dangerous” as that old cliché “nothing to lose” gets tossed around. Do they actually have it in them? I actually don’t think they do, but I suppose we’ve seen stranger things in Indiana. [pauses for long groan]

What should you be drinking?

There is only one acceptable choice for this week’s drink. This is a drink of my own creation that has made its way into the hearts of Irish fans across the country. There is no right or wrong way to drink it — JUST DRINK THE DAMN THING.

Trojan Blood

• Mountain Dew Code Red
• Gin
• Ice

Mix personal amounts into an acceptable glass (preferably one with a solid and heavy base). Drink. Tweet yourself with #TrojanBlood to gain glory.

What should you be eating?

The whiff of fresh blood in the air has me craving something from a motherland — not exactly my motherland, but you’ll get the drift.

Gyros!

But here’s the thing... Arby’s traditional Greek gyro. All bullshit aside, these things are insanely good and will surprise you with their goodness. I’m not sure how a fast food joint pulled this off so well, but I am thankful AF for it and the ease of purchase.

What should you be wearing?

There’s no way around it this week — you have to wear green. You signed a contract that said you will wear green on Saturday, so you have to or Notre Dame will come take your favorite pet or firstborn child.

While I’m sure most of you already have something in mind for USC, you can take this line of thinking and be proactive for the Michigan Wolverines.

Remember The Six Shirt

• $28

The rivalry has been renewed. And the last game—and true score—has not been forgotten.

Blue and gold print on a super-comfortable heather green tee. Premium, lightweight blended crewneck (60% cotton/40% polyester). Durable, yet ultra-soft. Unisex sizing with a snug fit. Men should size up; women should size down.

Designed by Nick Torres.

Screened in the USA.

• $28 at Breaking T

STATS ON STATS ON STATS

3 Reasons to hate Southern Cal

1. Pete Carroll.
2. That they get so bitchy about people calling them by their rightful name, Southern Cal or SoCal.
3. That god damn song.

Bonus: They ruined Aunt Becky forever.

Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Keys to the game

Honestly, I just think Notre Dame has to play “their” game. On defense, they should get a ton of pressure from the edge, and rattle the decision making of Kedon Slovis. That in itself would help keep the explosive plays that SC is capable of getting with its WRs to a minimum. Offensively, it comes down to Ian Book and his decisions. SC was able to give Book some problems last year, and this is the first time Ian Book will have seen a defense for a second time around. So... maybe he learned something?

Aside for all of that thinking... winning the turnover game will move mountains. Notre Dame is very good at that and USC is, well... not.

At the end of the night...

We all keep comparing this to Stanford last year or USC in 2015. I get it, and people aren’t exactly wrong as far as I’m concerned — but I just see something different. I think Notre Dame jumps up big in the first half thanks to a stout defense and explosive plays in the passing game. The second half may be more of a “HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS” as SC can make it interesting in a hurry. At any rate, an extra turnover seals the deal... Irish 31, SC 17.

@NDMSPAINT