USC quarterback Sam Darnold has won a Rose Bowl, faced Alabama and upset nationally ranked Washington in Husky Stadium during his eventful career as a Trojan.
But Darnold feels something special this week: He finally gets to play at Notre Dame Stadium.
WEEK 8 PICKS: Straight up | Against the spread
"It's going to be fun to go out there and live that dream," Darnold said. "I've dreamed of this as a kid."
The dream is even bigger than Darnold imagined. No. 11 USC and No. 13 Notre Dame face each other as ranked opponents for the first time since 2009, and the loser probably will no longer be part of the College Football Playoff conversation.
But for Darnold, it will be more about the rivalry and playing in front of a sold-out crowd in South Bend.
"I'm assuming it's going to get crazy," he said. "I went there my freshman year but this is the first chance I'll get to play. It's special. I don't think there's anything like this rivalry.
Darnold also attended a USC-Notre Dame game as a child, and has fond memories of his trip.
"It was pouring down rain and these Notre Dame fans next to us were super nice and let us borrow their umbrella and binoculars to watch the game," he said.
The Irish are unlikely to be as hospitable Saturday, especially after Darnold threw two touchdown passes in last season's 45-27 rout of Notre Dame at the Coliseum. He doesn't expect scoring to come as easy in his second meeting.
"Every game for us is a playoff game now," Darnold said.
MORE: Penn State-Michigan also has playoff implications
USC vs. Notre Dame often is portrayed as a friendly or classy rivalry, but last year's game also had its share of cheap shots. Irish defensive tackle Jerry Tillery kicked USC tailback Aca'Cedric Ware in the head as he lay on the ground with a concussion at the Coliseum. Tillery also stepped on the foot of offensive tackle Zach Banner after the latter was knocked to the ground.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said Tillery underwent counseling and performed community service in the offseason because of the incidents. But Ware shrugged it off.
"Some people get smacked in games; I got smacked," Ware said. "It happens. I'm not mad about it. When I saw (the replay), I thought, `That was me?' I feel like in the end, it got overblown."
USC isn't innocent in this rivalry either. During the 1984 game, played in torrential rain at the Coliseum, former USC linebacker Rex Moore threw mud through the face mask of Notre Dame tailback Allen Pinkett.
“Never happened,” Moore said. “If the refs didn’t call it, it never happened.”
Moore's son, Grant, is a walk-on linebacker at USC.
USC players may or may not know the history of the rivalry — but they know it's an important game.
"I've had a lot of people asking me for tickets," safety Chris Hawkins said. "This is a big one."