Notre Dame should put USC out of its misery

Notre Dame (11-0) needs to beat USC (5-5) to make the College Football Playoff and complete a perfect regular season.

Considering how the Fighting Irish performed against Northwestern and Syracuse the last two weeks, that shouldn’t be a problem. Notre Dame, an 11-point favorite, is a well-coached team with a smothering defense and a balanced offense that rarely makes mistakes.

USC has lost four of five, including an embarrassing, self-inflicted 15-14 defeat to California that was an indictment of the coaching staff. Speculation about Clay Helton’s job status is swirling, which has to be distracting. The Trojans can’t run on offense, and that will set up a lot of third-and-long situations against the Irish’s No. 8 passing defense, per the S&P+ ratings.

USC athletic director Lynn Swann did not hire Helton, whose days may be numbered, especially if the Trojans don’t qualify for a bowl game.

Notre Dame can’t afford a loss, since it does not play in a conference championship game, and also needs to play well to ensure it avoids a CFP semifinal matchup against Alabama.

Four more plays (home team in CAPS):

VANDERBILT (-3) over Tennessee: For all the Volunteers have accomplished this season, the Commodores still are favored. That says something about the state in which Butch Jones left the program. Vanderbilt is going for three consecutive wins over Tennessee for the first time since 1926. The Commodores came so close to beating Notre Dame, Kentucky and Missouri, and led Florida 21-3 before Ke’Shawn Vaughn got hurt. Vaughn quietly has been excellent this year, rushing for 976 yards on an outstanding 7.1 yards per carry in the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt’s balanced offense will put up points, and its pass defense can slow down Tennessee.

Kentucky (-17) over LOUISVILLE: The Cardinals are not only 1-10 ATS, they have failed to cover by an average of 17 points per game. Those banking on some life from Louisville after Bobby Petrino’s firing were hit with a 52-10 loss to North Carolina State last week. Now an angry Kentucky team on a late-season swoon is looking for revenge for last year’s 44-17 Louisville win. This is a lot of points for Kentucky’s mediocre offense, but it’s also the last chance to fade one of the worst ATS teams in recent memory. Plus, Benny Snell should have a field day against a gosh-awful Louisville run defense.

MIAMI (-5) over Pittsburgh: Miami’s defensive line is very good at getting into opposing backfields. The Hurricanes are capable of slowing down Pittsburgh’s running game. This is also an awful spot for the Panthers, who already have clinched a spot in next week’s Atlantic Coast Conference title game against Clemson. Miami finally has stopped playing musical chairs at quarterback, and N’Kosi Perry is starting to play better. With all due respect to Pittsburgh for a great season, it can’t match up athletically with Miami. The Hurricanes were overrated to start the season, but now they’re undervalued.

Brigham Young (+11½) over UTAH: The Utes have clinched the Pac-12 South and will advance to play a short-week championship game against the Apple Cup winner on Friday. It’s fair to wonder whether we’ll see Utah’s best effort in the Holy War. Keep in mind that QB Tyler Huntley and RB Zack Moss are already out for the season, and that BYU is No. 1 in the FBS in defending against explosive plays. These teams do not play at a fast pace, which gives further value to the Cougars. Also, 19 of the past 24 meetings have been decided by one possession.

Last week: 3-2 ATS

Season: 28-26-6

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Christopher Smith of AL.com, NOLA.com and MyBookie is providing college football analysis for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Follow @cfblocksmith on Twitter.