Clemson vs. Notre Dame: Outcome Doesn't Matter
The historical aspect of Saturday's game between No. 1 Clemson and No. 4 Notre Dame makes this highly anticipated.
After all, it's the highest-ranked matchup in ACC history. It doesn't matter if you want to put an asterisk on it or not because of the Irish's one-year campaign in the conference, it'll still go down in the record book.
This is also Clemson's first trip to South Bend since 1979. There might not be a game Tiger fans looked more forward to than this one...ever. However, because of COVID-19, their bucket-list dreams were dashed (until 2022) as they are not allowed into the stadium.
For the Tigers, it would the highest-ranked team they've ever beaten in the regular season.
For Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, he could become just the fifth coach in NCAA history to go undefeated in his first three games against Notre Dame. Amos Alonzo Stagg, Ara Parseghian, Jimmy Johnson and Nick Saban are the other coaches in that exclusive group.
Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, who's filling in for Trevor Lawrence, could get his career road win at one of the most iconic venues in all of college football.
This is as big a game as it gets, right? College football gets very few top-4 matchups, especially in this disjointed pandemic year. But when you step back and look at the big picture and what matters in this era, the importance of Saturday's 7:30 p.m. game takes a bit of a dip.
We think of the regular season as a playoff of sorts, especially in the ACC. SEC teams have received "mulligans" in the past. This year, it's very likely the ACC's turn to get one of those.
The College Football Playoff picture is clear at this point:
- The winners of the SEC and ACC are likeliest bets to get into the final four right now.
- If Ohio State wins the Big Ten with a 9-0 record, the Buckeyes are getting in.
- Unless Kansas State or Oklahoma State runs the table, the Big 12 will have a multi-loss champ so good luck with that.
- The Pac-12 champion will have only played seven games, and for a conference that's already been an afterthought in recent years, it's going to need one heck of a powerhouse to impress the committee in short time.
- No Group of Five team has ever really been considered for a spot in the playoff, but that could change this year if Cincinnati and BYU, two highly-ranked teams, keep winning. Still, it's unprecedented.
No matter how you do the math, the ACC has a decent shot at getting two teams in the CFP. The loser of Clemson-ND is far from out of it.
If the Tigers win and the Irish go on to run the table, beating UNC along the way, it'll set up a rematch of this week's showdown in the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 19. If Notre Dame were to then upset what would likely be a No. 1 Clemson squad, there's no way a one-loss ACC champ with a revenge win and the clout the Irish posses gets left out.
If Clemson loses Saturday, the CFP committee will take the absence of Lawrence and three defensive starters into account. And if the Tigers beat ND in a rematch, it'll be the same scenario as above: a huge win over a highly ranked opponent and a conference title. Hence, they're in.
So what are they truly playing for this week?
