Lawrence, Clemson meet Notre Dame in ACC title game
CHARLOTTE, N. C. » The stage is set for a marquee Top 25 showdown in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game this weekend.
Everyone watching will be eager to see if Notre Dame can upend Clemson again now that the Tigers have starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence back in the lineup.
The Fighting Irish beat then top-ranked Clemson in a thrilling 47- 40 doubleovertime shootout earlier this season. But Lawrence was sidelined because of COVID-19, and spent the game watching from the sideline in a mask.
But the projected No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft will be front and center in Saturday’s highly anticipated rematch.
Maybe not a price, but with him in the lineup, fourth- ranked Clemson (9-1, 8-1 ACC, No. 3 CFP) is a 10 ½-point favorite to beat No. 2 Notre Dame (100, 9- 0, No. 2 CFP) in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship and earn its sixth consecutive berth in the College Football Playoff.
To play three more games the Tigers may have to win Saturday.
No two-loss team has ever been selected for the College Football Playoff since its inception in 2014.
Ian Book, the winningest QB in Notre Dame history, lit up Clemson for 310 yards passing, while sophomore Kyren Williams ran for 140 yards and three TDs against an overwhelmed defense.
But Clemson hopes that unit will be bolstered by the return of linebacker James Skalski, who is considered the heart and soul of the Tigers defense. Like Lawrence, he didn’t play in the first game.
The Tigers have won five straight ACC titles under coach Dabo Swinney, while Notre Dame is seeking its first ever conference title after spending 131 years as an independent. Win or lose, unbeaten Notre Dame would seem to be a lock for the four-team playoff.