Notre Dame (11-0) at Southern California (7-4, 5-4, Pac-12)

Kickoff: Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, (ABC)

Spread: Notre Dame by 7

Watchability: High. The Irish moved to No. 1 in the nation Sunday and could earn a spot in the BCS National Championship Game for the first time in school history with a victory over their rivals. It’s a spot the Trojans expected to be in at the start of the year when they opened the preseason ranked No. 1 in several polls. A win over Notre Dame wouldn’t salvage USC’s season, but the Trojans would like nothing more than to spoil the Irish's remarkable run in their final game of the regular season.

Shining stars: Notre Dame -- RB Cierre Wood. The Irish senior is coming off a strong performance in his final game at Notre Dame Stadium, rushing for 150 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Wood’s career average of 5.5 yards per rush is the highest in Notre Dame history with at least 430 carries. Wood is particularly menacing on runs up the middle, as last week’s 68-yard burst against Wake Forest illustrates. USC -- QB Max Wittek. With QB Matt Barkley out because of a sprained right shoulder, the Trojans' redshirt freshman will get the start. Wittek boldly proclaimed this week that USC will pull the upset against the nation’s top-ranked team. Wittek (6-foot-4, 235 pounds) has only nine passing attempts in his career. He played for Mater Dei High School (Santa, Ana, Calif.), which also produced Barkley and former USC QB Matt Leinart. At Mater Dei, Wittek threw for more than 2,200 yards in his senior season in 2010 to earn Under Armour and Super Prep All-America honors.

Who could steal the show: Notre Dame -- DE Stephon Tuitt. The sophomore is tied for third in FBS in sacks (12) and needs 1.5 against the Trojans to tie Justin Tuck’s school single-season record. Tuitt is equally imposing with his speed and bull rushes, as well as his swim move to the inside. It will be incumbent on Tuitt and LB Prince Shembo to create pressure on Wittek off the edge. USC -- WR Marqise Lee. If the Trojans didn’t have four losses, Lee might be a contender for the Heisman. With blinding speed and sharp route-running, Lee is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. The Irish must limit him on yards-after-the-catch, as Lee is known to make defenders miss on routine tackles. Lee had 16 catches for 345 yards and two touchdowns on Oct. 27 at Arizona. He followed that with more than 400 all-purpose yards a week later against Oregon. Expect the Irish to kick away from him on special teams.

You going? Ranking the road trip: It should be an electric atmosphere at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the highly anticipated matchup. Many Irish fans likely booked the trip far in advance, but those still looking for a ticket will pay dearly. Although some upper-level seats are going for $135 on stubhub.com, the online ticket marketplace is selling seats in the lower level for up to $25,000.

Magic number for Notre Dame: 0. The Irish are 9-0 under coach Brian Kelly when they don’t commit a turnover. Notre Dame is 15-1 under Kelly when it wins the turnover battle. When the Irish have lost the turnover battle under Kelly, they are 9-9.

Magic number for USC: 254. In four losses, the Trojans have allowed an average of 254 rushing yards per game. In seven wins, USC has surrendered 90.85 yards per game. Oregon’s 426-yard rushing day could explain the disparity, but the Trojans also allowed more than 200 each to Stanford and Arizona. Notre Dame averages 200.73 rushing yards per game.

The game comes down to: Notre Dame’s ability to pressure Wittek. If the Irish can get to Wittek from every angle and force him to rush his throws, he may struggle to connect with Lee and WR Robert Woods. If Wittek is comfortable in the pocket, the Trojans' receivers could cause headaches for the Irish secondary.

Prediction: Notre Dame 24, USC 20.

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on Notre Dame football, follow bloggers Evan Hilbert and Matt Rybaltowski @CBSBigEast.