Officially, Xavier Watts’ 12th career interception counts as a 100-yard return, tying Jack Elder’s return from 1929 for Notre Dame football against Army.

Notre Dame cornerback Christian Gray has been picked on by the USC Trojans all day. Now he may have saved a playoff berth for the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish with a 99-yard pick-six. The Trojans h

This was by far Christian Gray's toughest day in a Notre Dame uniform. The sophomore was targeted 12 times, allowed eight receptions, and allowed 130 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Typically, when players have this type of performance, the player folds, but Gray was built for games like these through proper mental and physical preparation.

It wasn't easy, it wasn't always fun, but at the end of the day it was worth it as Notre Dame (11-1) survived an absolute battle with USC and is now headed to the first 12-team College Football Playoff.

Marcus Freeman stayed aggressive as Notre Dame football converted three fourth-down tries in the first half alone.

Notre Dame was leading USC by seven points in the fourth quarter on Saturday at the LA Coliseum. The Fighting Irish picked off two passes by the Trojans and returned them a total of 199 yards en route to a 49-35 win. Notre Dame scored two pick sixes that were both 99+ yards in back-to-back drives vs USC @NDFootball

No. 5 Notre Dame punched its ticket to the College Football Playoff with a 49-35 victory over Southern California for its 10th consecutive win