Getty Caleb Williams of the USC Trojans.
The No. 10 ranked USC Trojans (6-0) will head to South Bend to take on the No. 21 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-2) on Saturday, October 14.
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The game will be televised on NBC, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream for free on FuboTV or DirecTV Stream.
Here’s how:
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of NBC and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch USC vs Notre Dame live on the FuboTV app or FuboTV website.
Compatible devices for the FuboTV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the NBC Sports app or NBCSports.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your FuboTV credentials to do that.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” NBC is included in every one, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch USC vs Notre Dame live on the DirecTV Stream app or DirecTV Stream website.
Compatible devices for the DirecTV Stream app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the NBC Sports app or NBCSports.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials to do that.
Peacock TV
If you’ve used up all your free trials for other streaming services, the cheapest way to watch a live stream of the game is on Peacock TV’s Premium plan, which costs $5.99 per month and includes every Notre Dame home game (this one qualifies as a “home” game) this season:
Once signed up for Peacock, you can watch USC vs Notre Dame live on the Peacock TV app or Peacock TV website.
Compatible devices for the Peacock TV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Sling TV
If you’re looking for another cheap option, you can watch a live stream of NBC (live in select markets) and 40-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Blue” package. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with NBC and other sports channels, and you can get your first month half off:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch USC vs Notre Dame live on the Sling TV app or Sling TV website.
Compatible devices for the Sling TV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the NBC Sports app or NBCSports.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials to do that.
USC vs Notre Dame Preview
The Irish are coming off their second loss of the season, falling 33-20 to No. 14 Louisville last weekend. Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman had his worst outing of the season, completing 22 of 38 passes for 254 yards, two TDs and three interceptions in the loss, and got very little help from his running game. The Fighting Irish finished with only 44 yards rushing against Louisville, and they also struggled on third down, going just 3-13.
It won’t get any easier for Notre Dame this week, as Heisman winner Caleb Williams and USC’s high-powered offense awaits.
The Trojans are fresh from a nail-biter against Arizona, ultimately winning in the third overtime, 43-41. Williams went 14-25 for 219 yards and a TD, also rushing for a team-high three scores. USC’s defense allowed over 500 yards of total offense in the win, including 203 yards on the ground.
Heading into this game, USC is averaging just under 52 points a game on offense, which is No. 1 in the nation. On defense, the Trojans are giving up 27 points per contest. As for the Irish, Hartman and company are scoring 34.1 points a game, and their defense has been stout, giving up 15.9 points a game, which is ranked 15th in the country.
“We have to be controlled, but aggressive. Controlled aggressive is what we talk about in our rush lanes, but understand the play is never over with Caleb Williams,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said, adding:
“You have to continuously play through the whistle. The minute you think he’s running one way, you have to be alert because he can turn around and run the other. We can’t play prevent defense. I told those guys we have to be aggressive, but we have to understand the rush lanes that we’re rushing in and understand some of his escape routes. That’s something we’ve been working on.”
“We’ve enjoyed watching them,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley said about Notre Dame’s defense. “They’re a good team. They’re playing at a high level defensively again like they did last season. They return a lot of familiar faces. They’re one of the older defenses that we’ll play, seniors all over the place. A lot of experience. They have a few different guys on the front. They graduated a couple of their really good players there, but are still playing at a high level. They’ve been effective.”