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Cotton Bowl Spread: Notre Dame vs. Clemson Odds, Prediction
The winner gets either No. 1 Alabama or No. 4 Oklahoma in the national title game. Reaching the College Football Playoff is old hat for Clemson, which is in its fourth straight national semifinal – only Alabama has been in all five. Frankly, Clemson has become Alabama in many ways, thanks to head coach Dabo Swinney, a former Tide player. Many think he could eventually replace Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa. The Tigers lost in the semifinals to the Tide last year, beat them in the national championship game following the 2016 season and lost to them in the title game following the ’15 campaign.
College Football Playoff Semi-Final Betting Analysis
It’s the first trip to the national semifinals for the independent Irish. They haven’t won a championship since the 1988 season but played for it all in the BCS Championship Game after the 2012 season, losing 42-14 to Alabama. To think, Coach Brian Kelly was on the hot seat following a 4-8 record in 2016. Now he’s the Associated Press Coach of the Year for the second time.
Clemson and Notre Dame last played in 2015. The Tigers won 24-22 at home behind two TD passes and a touchdown run from Deshaun Watson, now with the NFL’s Texans. The Irish pulled within two with seven seconds left but were stuffed on two-point conversion try.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Like Clemson, Notre Dame made a quarterback change during the season, going from the more experienced Brandon Wimbush to inexperienced junior Ian Book. Wimbush was a better runner, but Book is a much better passer and is completing 70.4 per cent on the season. Book threw for at least 260 yards in every start.
Notre Dame also is an excellent defensive team, allowing 17.3 ppg but is susceptible against the run (133.5 ypg). The Irish had several close calls this season, beating Ball State by just eight, Vanderbilt by five, Pittsburgh by five, Northwestern by 10 (it was closer than that) and USC by seven. Then again, the Irish trashed Syracuse 36-3, the same Orange team that nearly beat Clemson. Notre Dame is 2-4 all-time vs. ACC opponents in bowl games.
Clemson Tigers
As good as Clemson has been the past few seasons, it has finished unbeaten just once: In 1981 when it won the school’s first national championship. This year, the Tigers were only tested twice: A 28-26 win at Texas A&M and 27-23 home victory over Syracuse.
Starting QB Trevor Lawrence, a true freshman, was knocked out of that game against the Orange, but tailback Travis Etienne stepped up with 27 carries for 203 yards and three scores. Lawrence, who is healthy now, didn’t begin the year as the starter but replaced Kelly Bryant early on. Bryant has since transferred. Lawrence and Etienne will be among the early Heisman favourites next year with Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa.
Clemson ranks fifth nationally in scoring (45.4 ppg) and has an amazing defensive front with perhaps three 2019 first-round NFL Draft picks. The Tigers rank second nationally in scoring defence at 13.7 ppg. They are third against the run (92.9 ypg).
