You’d think travelling from cold Indiana in late November to pleasant southern California would loosen folks up a little bit. Seemingly not. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish take their biennial trip to the Pacific coast to face the USC Trojans for rivalry week. No love is lost between these two storied programs as ever. As if this game needed any more animosity, Fighting Irish HC Marcus Freeman has a chip on his shoulder.

Notre Dame (10-1) has had a contrasting traversal through their season compared to foes USC (6-5). Marcus Freeman and co. are no.5 in the country and have one foot in the CFP. Meanwhile, the Trojans had to muster a 4th quarter comeback against UCLA on Saturday just to become bowl-eligible. However, this divergence wasn’t the case in the very recent past itself. Freeman begrudgingly remembers his first game at USC from a Notre Dame persuasion all too well.

When these two schools last faced each other in the Trojans’ backyard in 2022, it was the home side that held The Jeweled Shillelagh trophy at the final whistle. Marcus Freeman had lost his first rivalry matchup. Naturally, he wasn’t thrilled and is out for vengeance. When asked about his memories of the LA Coliseum in the build-up to Saturday’s game, he said, “I remember as a player there, it was rocking. Celebrities and the crowd, it was big time.” Freeman then admitted “I think back to two years ago, they crushed those hopes. That’s one that sticks with me.”

The 38-27 win for USC broke a 4-year winning streak for the Fighting Irish. This was garnered during the legendary run with Brian Kelly at the helm. Marcus Freeman took over Kelly’s reign quite abruptly in 2021 but held his own. A win on the weekend will go some way in warming him further to the Fighting Irish faithful. For more than just the conspicuous reasons.

Freeman leads his troops to the west coast, not just with pride riding on the game. A win would be worth more than just bragging rights. It would firmly secure Notre Dame a CFP berth. For Independent Notre Dame, being without a conference in the first year of the expanded playoff was a unique proposition. Their success in their endeavors is poetically dependent on them conquering enemy territory. “Our biggest challenge to date”, said Freeman about facing USC.

Novice Marcus Freeman is beginning to find his footing at Notre Dame

After Brian Kelly left the program for LSU, a cloud of uncertainty loomed over the school. Kelly had been in charge for over a decade and is Notre Dame’s winningest coach ever. In his very first year, he even broke an 8-year losing streak to the Trojans. These were big shoes to fill for Marcus Freeman, the defensive coordinator with no head coaching experience.

His tenure didn’t get off to the best start, either. Freeman lost his first 3 games. After a couple of upward-trending seasons, the biggest blow came via an unexpected source. Notre Dame’s loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2 this season still reverberates deafeningly around the CFB landscape. This was arguably the biggest upset in the history of the program.

For now, it seems like Freeman and his team have put that result where it belongs- the history books. Notre Dame has won 9 straight since. They are stood on the precipice of the playoffs. Their self-proclaimed biggest challenge is what stands in the way of a first playoff appearance in the Marcus Freeman era.