Four things to watch when No. 10 USC faces No. 21 Notre Dame

The artificial crowd noise was turned all the way up. With rainy weather in the forecast for Saturday, staff members chased players and sprayed them with water. When safety Max Williams caught the ball, water droplets splashed in his face.

Yes, it feels like Notre Dame rivalry week.

“Growing up, being a USC fan and dreaming about coming to USC, you always dreamed about playing in USC-Notre Dame game,” said Williams, a former star at Gardena Serra, “and especially playing at South Bend is a dream.”

Notre Dame Stadium has been closer to a nightmare for USC recently. The Trojans (6-0) haven’t knocked off their rivals on the road since 2011, but ended a four-game losing streak in the series last year.

“One of the greatest rivalries in college football,” quarterback Caleb Williams said.

Already loaded with prestige, Saturday’s rivalry game also begins a critical stretch for the No. 10 Trojans. After slipping in the polls for three consecutive weeks, USC will face five ranked opponents in its last six regular-season games.

Here are four things to watch in USC’s game against the No. 21 Fighting Irish (5-2) at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PDT (Ch. 4):