After getting quarterback Sam Hartman via the transfer portal from Wake Forest, Notre Dame football seemed to get the missing piece that they needed. The Fighting Irish ended up having a solid year last year after an atrocious start to last season, but they lacked elite QB play. Getting Hartman was huge for Notre Dame, and he showed early on in the season that he is a special QB. The Fighting Irish looked great in the first few weeks of the season and they came into their huge home matchup with Ohio State undefeated and ranked in the top-1o to AP Poll. We are now into week 7 for Notre Dame, and their season looks much different than it did then.

Notre Dame football ended up missing out on a golden opportunity against the Buckeyes, and they suffered their first loss of the season in heartbreaking fashion. Since then, the Fighting Irish have had two more night games in a row against ranked teams. They won a thriller on the road against Duke the week after, but Notre Dame suffered loss #2 the next week on the road against Louisville. That one squashed any hopes of the Fighting Irish finding a way back into the College Football Playoff picture.

The road doesn't get any easier for Notre Dame football this week. For the fourth consecutive week, the Fighting Irish have a night game against a ranked team. This week, it's USC football that will be coming to South Bend for a huge rivalry matchup. The Trojans CFP hopes are still alive as they are undefeated and ranked #10 in the country. However, USC has been slipping down the rankings in recent weeks as they have had a couple close calls against subpar teams, and the defense has been questionable. This game against Notre Dame will certainly be their toughest game up to this point. Here are three predictions for the big rivalry matchup.

Audric Estime will score two touchdowns

One important thing to keep an eye on tomorrow in this game and games all over the country is the weather. Many games are going to be affected by rain, and this could be one of them. This is a night game so the rain might end up being done by the time the game starts, but Notre Dame football is going to be using Audric Estime a lot. Not only is he a great back, but USC football also has a defense that is struggling right now. The Fighting Irish are going to take advantage of the defensive issues that the Trojans have been experiencing.

Notre Dame's defense will hold Caleb Williams to under 300 yards passing

Notre Dame has a good defense and they will be able to challenge Caleb Williams and the USC football offense. Williams has been essentially unstoppable this season, but the tough road environment mixed with the poor weather might do the trick for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame is going to make life difficult on Williams, and he's not going to put up the big passing numbers that we're used to seeing from him.

Notre Dame will lose a close one

The Fighting Irish come into this one favored by 2.5, but USC football is going to end up getting the job done on Saturday. It's going to be tough for the Trojans as they are going to have a find way to play a different brand of football than they are used to, but they are going to find a way to get the job done.

USC vs. Notre Dame will get underway at 7:30 PM ET on Saturday from South Bend, Indiana, and the game will be airing on NBC.