COLLEGE FOOTBALL USC, Notre Dame finally in meaningful contest
Both are ranked in the top seven and today's winner will be in a key BCS bowl game.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The rivalry is revived.
Unlike most of the past decade, both Southern California and Notre Dame have a lot riding on the game at the Coliseum.
Each team has made a dramatic turnaround, so for a change the outcome will affect the national rankings and bowl picture.
"USC and Notre Dame were both so great and it fizzled out," USC quarterback Carson Palmer said, referring to the teams' struggles in recent years. "Now we're both so good and we're playing each other.
"It's weird how it happened in the same year. Nobody expected much out of us, nobody expected much out of them. And now we're both in the top seven teams."
Notre Dame's Darrell Campbell isn't surprised the Fighting Irish are having an outstanding season.
"We always knew we were a good football team. We knew we were this close," said Campbell, a tackle on Notre Dame's stingy defense.
Trojans eye Rose Bowl
The Trojans (9-2, 7-1 Pac-10), sixth in the national rankings and Bowl Championship Series standings, still have a shot at the Rose Bowl. But failing that, a win over Notre Dame would establish USC in the BCS at-large picture.
No. 7 Notre Dame (10-1) is guaranteed an at-large berth if it beats the Trojans and moves up one notch to sixth in the BCS standings.
All that marks a dramatic turnaround in the rivalry, as the teams go into tonight's matchup ranked in the top 10 for the first time since 1989.
"We're both trying to restore the programs to where they were, and now here we are together," USC safety Troy Polamalu said. "This game is the one that really puts you over the hill."
The Trojans are favored by 11 points.
Second-year coach Pete Carroll has revitalized the Trojans, and first-year Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham has guided the Irish back to national prominence.
Willingham admires the job done by Carroll, who replaced the fired Paul Hackett after USC went 5-7 in 2000.
"He stepped in and really solidified everything that they have been about," Willingham said. "He has them back to playing football the way that university has traditionally played football, which is recognized as one of the finest traditions in the country."
Turns things around
Carroll is just as impressed by the way Willingham, who came to Notre Dame when Bob Davie was fired after going 5-6 last year, has turned the Irish around.
"I think Tyrone Willingham has done a remarkable job of getting it done in one year. I know how difficult it was for us to get our game going, and it took half a season to get it done," said the USC coach, whose Trojans finished 6-6 after a 1-3 start last year.
"Tyrone got it done for them out of the chute. He's done much better."
The game figures to hinge on whether the Irish will be able to slow Palmer, who during the second half of his senior season has emerged as one of the nation's best passers.
Palmer has thrown for 3,214 yards and 28 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. He has passed for 2,251 yards and 23 TDs in his last seven games alone.
And the Trojans have been held under 40 points just once -- a 34-13 win over Arizona State -- in their last five games.
"They're on all cylinders," Notre Dame offensive coordinator Bill Diedrick said. "I think on the offensive side, they are all in sync and executing extremely well. I think Carson is playing a lot more relaxed and confident than he's been in the years that we've played against him."
Notre Dame's defense ranks among the top 20 nationally in virtually every category, including second in pass efficiency defense (85.9), third in scoring defense (13.2), and fifth in total defense (270.6 yards per game).