Notre Dame will not change their defense in anticipation of Saturday's showdown with USC, and their back-up quarterback Max Wittek. Wittek will start in place of the injured Matt Barkley.

If Notre Dame is to advance to the BCS National Championship, they'll not only have to overcome USC this Saturday, but also the dreaded "SI jinx." The Irish are on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated magazine.

Even as his senior season has been a disappointment, USC quarterback Matt Barkley should still be a first-round pick.

If USC is going to pull an upset over No. 1 ranked Notre Dame Saturday night, they'll need to slow down red-shirt freshman quarterback Everett Golson.

Although his senior season didn't play out as planned, USC quarterback Matt Barkley has no regrets about returning to school for his final year of eligibility.

USC and UCLA will both be home this week, hosting top-10 opponents.

USC quarterback Max Wittek will make his first collegiate start on Saturday and predicted the Trojans would upset No. 1 Notre Dame.

USC Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley and offensive lineman Khaled Holmes were named to the Pac-12 All-Academic team on Tuesday.

USC head coach Lane Kiffin is not going anywhere following a poor season, and he has the full backing of athletic director Pat Haden.

The Trojans open as just over a field goal underdogs to the Irish, who are on their way to the national championship game with a win.