Nobody has to remind Notre Dame’s players and head coach Charlie Weis what this Saturday means for the program. A win would serve as a stepping-stone for the school to get back among the nation’s elite. A blowout loss would send them spiraling backwards and might inevitably cost Weis his job.

“I said, Saturday night fellas, you’re going to be the lead story in the country, one way or another,” Weis said. “So which lead story do you want to be?”

Besides the fact that Charlie must not realize Oklahoma is also taking on Texas this weekend, his comments pinpoint the magnitude of Saturday’s game. This isn’t just another game for the Irish – it’s the game of the year.

The Trojans have beaten the Irish seven straight times. During that span, USC quarterbacks have averaged 323 passing yards and since October of 2002, the Trojans are 31-2 against ranked opponents.

Oh, and they also rank sixth in the nation in total defense.

But this is a different Notre Dame team, at least offensively. Jimmy Clausen ranks No. 1 in the country in passing efficiency and the Irish have the 10th best offense in college football. They’re averaging 470 yards per game and over 30 points per contest. Their ground game doesn’t get as much attention as their passing attack, but the Irish are averaging 148 rushing yards per game so they can beat you in a variety of ways.

The key for Notre Dame is how well it can protect Clausen. USC boasts several explosive pass rushers, including defensive end Everson Griffen and Nick Perry, although Perry is questionable with a knee injury. Can tackles Sam Young and Paul Duncan keep Clausen upright in order to keep the chains moving?

Also, USC hasn’t shown the same offensive explosion that it has over the years, but Notre Dame hasn’t played great defensively. Can the Irish force freshman quarterback Matt Barkley to make plays through the air or will the Trojans control the game on the ground?

While this contest might take a backseat to Oklahoma-Texas, this might be the most emotionally charged game on the college football schedule this weekend. USC has already dedicated the game to running back Stafon Johnson, who was injured a couple of weeks ago in a weight room accident. Throw in the fact that Notre Dame will be at home in front of a raucous crowd and you have the makings of what should be a thrilling game.

If I’m making a prediction, I think Notre Dame keeps things close but in the end, USC’s front seven will be too much for the Irish’s front five. Clausen hasn’t seen a pass rush the likes of what the Trojans brings to the table and I think USC will prevail in the end.

Prediction: USC 24, Notre Dame 17.

USC running back Stafon Johnson underwent emergency surgery on Monday after a weight bar fell on his neck while he was bench pressing. He is listed in critical, but stable condition according to the L.A. Times.

Johnson, who starred at Dorsey High, was just starting a set of bench-press lifts near the end of a midmorning workout when he apparently lost control of the bar and it landed on his neck, Coach Pete Carroll said.

Johnson reportedly spit up blood through his mouth and nose.

Reserve quarterback Garrett Green and fullback Stanley Havili did not see the accident, but both said they saw Johnson sitting quietly as he awaited the paramedics.

Surgery began about 2 p.m., according to family friend John Eatman, a former high school teammate of Johnson’s.

Eatman was among about a dozen friends and family members gathered at the hospital Monday evening.

“Right now we don’t know anything,” Eatman said outside the hospital. “We’re just hoping he’s all right.”

This is a sad story. It was an accident and fortunately for Johnson, he had a spotter and the paramedics were able to rush him to the hospital.

Hopefully Johnson is okay and he has a quick recovery.

Check out our other 2009 college football previews.

Preseason Ranking: No. 4 in AP Top 25; No. 4 in USA Today Poll.

Key Returning Players: Aaron Corp (QB); Mitch Mustain (QB); Stafon Johnson (RB); Joe McKnight (RB); C.J. Gable (RB); Damian Williams (WR); Charles Brown; Anthony McCoy (TE); (OT); Butch Lewis (OT); Jeff Byers (G); Alex Parsons (G); Kristofer O’Dowd (C); Taylor Mays (S); Everson Griffen (DE); Drew McAllister (S); Kevin Thomas (CB).

Key Losses: Rey Maualuga (LB); Brian Cushing (LB); Fili Moala (DT); Mark Sanchez (QB); Kevin Ellison (S); Cary Harris (CB); Kaluka Maiava (LB); Clay Matthews (DE); Kyle Moore (DE); Patrick Turner (WR); David Buehler (K); Greg Woidneck (P).

Player to Watch: Matt Barkley, QB.
Barkley is the much-ballyhooed freshman who rather surprisingly beat out sophomore Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain (a redshirt junior transfer from Arkansas) for the Trojans’ starting quarterback job this summer. Barkley will be the first freshman starting quarterback at USC during head coach Pete Carroll’s era, so the pressure is on. He’s a gunslinger in every sense of the word, which can be both good and bad. He has the arm strength to make every throw, but the knock on him is that he’ll try to force the ball into tight coverage and therefore has the penchant for throwing interceptions. The notion is that Corp (who is battling a leg injury) isn’t healthy enough to start the opener and therefore Carroll named Barkley the starter to instill confidence in the young signal caller. It’s unclear at this point if Carroll will stick with Barkley if he struggles early in the season, or if Corp will eventually take over.

Team Strength: Even though the Trojans lost their starting quarterback (Mark Sanchez) and their top receiver (Patrick Turner) from a year ago, the USC offense should once again be explosive. The Trojans return all five starters on the offensive line and have a trio of talented backs in Stafon Johnson, Joe McKnight and C.J. Gable. The receiving corps also has plenty of quality talent in Roland Johnson, Damian Williams and Stanley Havili. As long as Barkley or Corp can step up and replace Sanchez, USC offense will once again be tough to stop.

Potential Weakness: While USC always has a fantastic recruiting class, the Trojans lost a ton of defensive talent with the departures of Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews, Kaluka Maiava, Fili Moala, Kevin Ellison and Kyle Moore. The defense returns just three starters from a year ago and while one of those players is superstar safety Taylor Mays, the Trojans are going to have trouble filling all of those vacant spots. Again, USC always retools, but can the unit gel fast enough for this team to stay in the national title hunt?

Outlook: While teams like Cal, Oregon and Oregon State must be licking their chops at the chance to overtake a depleted Trojans team, USC reloads better than any program in college football and once again are the favorites to win the Pac-10. That said, this team has a ton of question marks, most notably surrounding the quarterback situation and the lack of overall experience on defense. Will Barkley succumb to the pressure in his first season? Will the Trojans have to rely too heavily on their running game? Can the new players on defense gel? If Barkley proves he can fill the shoes of Sanchez or if Corp can step up and replace the freshman if he stumbles, then USC will once again knock on the door of a title. And while USC certainly seems primed for the taking this season, Carroll is going to have the Trojans ready to play on Saturdays and will get a huge early season test when they travel to Columbus to take on a loaded Ohio State team. If they take it to the Buckeyes, they can build off that success all season. And as long as they don’t get tripped up by an unsuspecting opponent (like, the Beavers on October 24 for example), then the Trojans will be in national title contention.