Clemson vs Notre Dame prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 10, Saturday, November 5
Clemson vs Notre Dame How To Watch
Date: Saturday, November 5
Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
How To Watch: NBC
Record: Clemson (8-0), Notre Dame (5-3)
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Clemson vs Notre Dame Game Preview
Why Clemson Will Win
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Notre Dame rises up and impresses when we all least expect it, but …
It’s not like Syracuse was 100% going into last week’s game. It’s not the Irish’s fault the Orange D line was too banged up – it is their fault QB Garrett Shrader got injured – but that wasn’t the same Syracuse team of a few weeks ago.
The win over BYU seemed impressive, but as it turns out, it wasn’t.
Hanging with Ohio State for a while was good, beating a possibly overrated North Carolina was strong, and that’s about it. Losing to Stanford, losing to Marshall, almost losing to Cal – this is an up-and-down team.
Clemson is beatable by a decent downfield passing game, but that’s not really Notre Dame. It’s the running game that has to come through, and that’s going to be a problem against the NFL-caliber Tiger defensive front.
And yes, there are concerns at quarterback, and the four turnover against Syracuse were scary, but the running game picked up the slack. The Tiger offensive front is getting better and better, but …
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Why Notre Dame Will Win
Give Notre Dame credit for battling.
No, this hasn’t been the season Irish fans were hoping for, but after starting 0-2 and with a Hail Mary-stop to survive against Cal, this could’ve gone downhill fast – see Auburn, see Texas A&M, see Michigan State, see BYU for how quickly things can go off the rails.
Instead, the coaching staff changed up the quarterback, the offensive line took over, and the running game has been terrific over the last five games – it was even decent in the strange loss to Stanford.
Clemson doesn’t make anything easy on itself. There’s no real turnover problems, and the penalties haven’t been an issue, but the blowout over Boston College aside, every game seems to be a battle.
In a positive way, Clemson had two weeks off to rest up and prepare. On the negative side, DJ Uiagalelei has had two weeks to let the pressure build after the rough day against Syracuse, the shadow of Cade Klubnik will be large after every missed play, and …
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What’s Going To Happen
The Clemson defense getting two weeks off is everything.
That, and the conditions in South Bend are expected to be very, very windy.
It will take something special for the Irish to win this without running well. It’s about to have problems against the seventh-best run defense in the nation.
Give this about a half to settle in. Notre Dame has scholarship players on defense, too, and it’s going to keep the Tigers from taking over with the running game. That means it’s going to be another grind for Uiagalelei, but again, the time off will be huge.
The Clemson lines will take over in the second half.
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Clemson vs Notre Dame Prediction, Line
Clemson 23, Notre Dame 17
Line: Clemson -3.5, o/u: 43.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5
Clemson vs Notre Dame Must See Rating (out of 5): 4.5
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