The 3rd ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on number 2 Clemson in this year’s Cotton Bowl which will be held on Saturday 12/29/18 at the AT&T Arena in Dallas, Texas.
Both these teams finished the regular season spotless with Notre Dame going 12-0 SU while Clemson finishing at 13-0. The last time these two teams met was in 2015 with Clemson coming out victorious at 24-22.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are making their first ever playoff appearance. The Irish got here with an unbeaten record which included wins over four ranked teams. The Irish had a quarterback change in Week 4 and since taking over, Ian Book has made a difference as Notre Dame has since won by an average winning margin of 18.63 points excluding the Florida State game which Brandon Wimbush started.
Book has been explosive in his tenure as starting quarterback as he’s thrown for 2,468 passing yards with 19 touchdowns and six interceptions. Dexter Williams has rushed for a total of 941 yards with 12 touchdowns despite missing the team’s first four games. Notre Dame ranks 34st in the nation in scoring 33.8 points per game. On defense, the Irish yield just 17.3 points per game which is 9th best in the NCAA.
The Clemson Tigers have played like they are the only team who can compete with the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. The Tigers have annihilated their opposition this season and in their last game, they beat an overmatched Pittsburgh team by 32 points en route to winning the ACC title. Now the Tigers must win this semifinal playoff matchup to set a date with the Crimson Tide.
Like the Fighting Irish, the Tigers also had a quarterback issue at the start of the season. By Week 5, Head Coach Dabo Swinney gave the keys to freshman Trevor Lawrence who has since thrown for more than 2,600 yards with 24 passing touchdowns. Sophomore running back Travis Etienne has rushed for 1,463 yards with 21 rushing touchdowns scored. The Clemson offense is 5th in the nation at 45.4 points per game while their defense, which allows just 13.7 points per game, is second best in the entire NCAA.
The Irish were 12-0 SU on the season while the Tigers were also unbeaten at 13-0 SU this season. The last time these teams played was on October 3, 2015 and the Clemson Tigers came up with a 24-22 home win.
Notre Dame had an excellent season. But in their last six games played, they had several close calls. They defeated USC by a touchdown, beat Northwestern by 10 points and survived Pitt by five points. Clemson meanwhile was never in trouble this season with their closest victory a four-point win over a very good Syracuse team.
This Clemson team is one of the best teams ever assembled. If not for Alabama, they would be without doubt the #1 team in college football. Alabama maybe just a little better but this Clemson team is legit and were a juggernaut the entire season. Against Notre Dame, they are better on both offense and defense. We’re picking the Clemson Tigers to beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on 12/29/18.
Notre Dame was 6-5-1 ATS during the regular season and the Irish are 2-3-1 ATS in their last six games played. Clemson was 7-6 ATS in 13 games played this season. The Tigers are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games played.
The Fighting Irish are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five games against teams with winning records and are 4-0 ATS in their last four games at a neutral venue. Meanwhile, the Tigers are 8-1 ATS in their last nine December games. Clemson is also 11-2 ATS in their last 13 games at a neutral venue. The Tigers are 7-1 ATS in their last eight bowl games. Clemson is #2 in the nation for something and that’s because they play well at both ends of the field. No question this Clemson team is special and they’re going to prove it on Saturday. Prediction: Clemson -12.5
The O/U was 6-6 in Notre Dame’s dozen games played this season. The over is 6-3 in the last nine games played by the Fighting Irish. The under was 7-6 in Clemson’s 13 games played this season.
These teams have elite offense and it would be tempting to go for the over right away. But the total has gone under 55 points in the last four regular season games played by Notre Dame. Clemson also went under that total in three out of their last four games played. These teams have the history of playing under the total in neutral sites with the undergoing 4-1 in the last five games of each team. These teams also have Top 10 defenses so I’m going with the under here. Prediction: Under 55
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