No. 3 Notre Dame visits rival USC on brink of playoff berth

LOS ANGELES >> Notre Dame has reached the grand finale of its regular season without a defeat, surviving a perilous path from San Diego to the Bronx and back with its championship dreams intact.

The remaining road before the No. 3 Fighting Irish is suddenly quite clear. With a win over struggling Southern California on Saturday night at the Coliseum, Notre Dame (110, No. 3 CFP) should secure a spot in the College Football Playoff.

“We’re aware of our situation,” quarterback Ian Book said. “It’s not something we talk a lot about and create pressure for ourselves, (but) we know where we are. We know what we’ve got to do.”

The final challenge doesn’t look terribly daunting on paper. While Notre Dame is on the brink of a playoff berth, USC simply is on the brink.

The Irish are big favorites against the Trojans (56), who are wrapping up their worst regular season since 2000. They’ve lost four of their last five games amid injury problems and a clear decline in performance during the second half of the year.

But players and coaches on both sidelines are well aware that this famed rivalry doesn’t always conform to what’s expected.

They know there’s much more on the line than a playoff berth, or even the gloriously gaudy Jeweled Shillelagh, every year when these glamorous programs add a 90th chapter to their intersectional history.

“They are the No. 3 team in the country, and they’re always going to come out and play, especially when it’s the Trojans versus the Irish,” USC freshman quarterback J.T. Daniels said. “I’m just really excited to be in the environment and get to experience it.”