On Saturday, the Clemson Tigers will take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The game is set for a 7:30 pm kickoff at Notre Dame Stadium. The game will be televised on NBC.
Both of these ACC teams are undefeated on the season. This game is huge, with the winner having an inside track to a spot in the ACC Championship Game.
Clemson is the top-ranked team in the country, while Notre Dame sits at No.4. However, this will be Clemson’s second game without its star quarterback, Trevor Lawrence.
Lawrence tested positive for COVID-19 and missed last week against Boston College. He will also be out for the Notre Dame game, but it should be the last game he misses because of the virus.
But Clemson hasn’t gotten where it is as a program because it relies on one person. Dabo Swinney has created a powerhouse, and this is a next-man-up scenario.
Who is D.J. Uiagalelei?
D.J. Uiagalelei will be getting his second straight start for the Tigers. Last week, he threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns, showing college football that Clemson has talent that will be replacing Lawrence at quarterback next season.
Because of Lawrence testing positive for COVID-19, Uiagalelei is getting the opportunity to show some of his talent this season. At 6-4 and 250 pounds, Uiagalelei isn’t built like the traditional quarterback.
His top target was Travis Etienne, who caught seven passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. Etienne does a lot for this team, as he also had 20 carries for 84 yards and another touchdown.
But the Tigers only beat Boston College by six points last week, which is their smallest margin of victory so far this season. They had to rally from a 28-10 first-half deficit. The defense will need to be much better to beat the Fighting Irish.
Can Notre Dame Take Advantage?
This has been an anticipated matchup, and no one wanted to see a team at less than full strength. However, that is going to be the case. With Lawrence out of this game, this is Notre Dame’s chance to pick up a huge win.
A lot of that pressure will be on the Irish’s quarterback, Ian Book. He has thrown for 1,225 yards and seven touchdowns on the season.
The one performance that is worrisome for the Tigers was their outing against the Louisville Cardinals. The game ended 12-7, which was the closest game for them this year.
Clemson will be their first big opponent this season.
Prediction
Clemson is a 5.5-point favorite against Notre Dame, even without Lawrence starting. I expect Swinney to have his team ready for this one.
Notre Dame is not on the same level that Clemson is on. I still believe the Tigers pull it out with Uiagalelei under center.
The over/under is set at 50.5. I think that Clemson wins this game by limiting the offense for the Fighting Irish. Clemson will do the scoring, while Notre Dame will lack offensive power.
Take Clemson -5.5 and the under.