Notre Dame will always be compared to USC as USC will always be compared to Notre Dame. That's just how rivalries have always gone and will always go. The matchup between the two happens on Thanksgiving weekend this year and could be huge in determining College Football Playoff bids.

Note the word "overpower" in the title of this story. It's not "beat" or "outscore," but something specific. USC outscoring Michigan 42-35 wouldn't change the national college football narrative that USC is soft.

To use a real-world example, let's take a quick look at how the market has adjusted to point totals for college football games this season. Last year, game totals decreased dramatically as the year progressed due to rule changes affecting the number of plays in games.