No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 4 Clemson meet on Saturday in the ACC championship game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
The matchup starts at 4 p.m. ET and will be televised on ABC. This is a rematch of the 47-40 double-overtime thriller on Nov. 7 in South Bend, and it comes with huge College Football Playoff implications.
Notre Dame (10-0) has a chance to complete an unbeaten season and win the ACC. Brian Kelly has led the Irish to a BCS championship and College Football Playoff appearance, and Ian Book will look to win yet another big game.
Clemson (9-1) is looking for a sixth straight ACC championship, and they need this one to make the College Football Playoff. Of course, Trevor Lawrence missed the last matchup after testing positive for COVID-19.
The stakes are huge, and it’s the largest spotlight yet for the ACC championship game.
Here’s everything to know about betting on Notre Dame vs. Clemson, including updated odds, trends and our prediction for the 2020 ACC championship game.
MORE: Eight College Football Playoff scenarios
Notre Dame vs. Clemson odds
- Spread: Clemson -10.5
- Over/under: 60.5
- Moneyline: Clemson -360, Notre Dame +275
Clemson opened the week as a 10.5-point favorite to win the 2020 ACC championship. The moneyline for Notre Dame is +275, which means a winning $100 bet on the Wildcats would pay $275 in profit. The over/under is 60.5 points for Notre Dame vs. Clemson.
Notre Dame vs. Clemson all-time series
The Tigers are 3-2 against the Irish. The teams split a home-and-home series in 1977 and 1979. Clemson beat Notre Dame 24-22 on Oct. 2, 2015; a game that Clemson coach Dabo Swinney made famous by proclaiming that it was “BYOG” — Bring Your Own Guts. The Tigers also beat the Irish 30-3 at the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl Classic on Dec. 29, 2018.
Notre Dame broke that streak with the 47-40 double-overtime thriller on Nov. 7.
Three trends to know
— Clemson was a 5.5-point favorite in the first meeting, and the Tigers failed to cover the spread. The Tigers have covered in two games since and won by an average score of 48-13.
— Clemson has won the last five ACC championship games in convincing fashion. The Tigers have won the last five ACC championship games by an average of 26.2 points per game, and the last three have been decided by 37.3 points per game.
— Notre Dame is 18-13 ATS as an underdog under Kelly, and that includes a 12-9-1 record ATS on neutral sites. The Irish are 5-5 ATS this season.
Three things to watch
— Lawrence is back. Lawrence has compiled 598 passing yards and three touchdowns with one interception in two games since returning. He has 420 passing yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions in two previous ACC championship games. Lawrence’s presence, however, might be more important for the running game. The Tigers had 33 rushing attempts for 34 yards in the first meeting. Travis Etienne should have more success this time around.
— Clemson’s defense. The Tigers allowed 47 points and 518 total yards in the first meeting. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables will have a much-different game plan this time around, and Clemson must be better at getting off the field on third down. Notre Dame converted 10 of 19 opportunities in the first matchup.
— Can Ian Book do it again? Book’s late-game heroics keyed the upset last time. Book had 67 rushing yards in the first meeting, and Kyren Williams had a monster game with 140 yards and three touchdowns. Book has played at a Heisman level since November, and he will need to do it again for the Irish to pull off another upset.
Stat that matters
63-4 – That is the combined record for Lawrence (33-1) and Book (30-3) as starting quarterbacks for their respective teams. They met head-to-head in the College Football Playoff semifinal in 2018; a one-sided blowout that led to the Tigers’ last national championship.
This is one of the quarterback matchups of the College Football Playoff era. Enjoy the show.
Notre Dame vs. Clemson prediction
Notre Dame scores first again on a Williams touchdown, but Clemson counters with a quick-strike passing game. The Tigers averaged 15.1 yards per catch in the first meeting. Lawrence hits two touchdown passes in the first half, and Etienne stakes Clemson out to a two-score lead in the third quarter. Book rallies the Irish. It’s not enough to win the ACC championship, but it does secure a Playoff berth for Notre Dame, too. It’s the best-case scenario for the ACC.
Final score: Clemson 33, Notre Dame 24