Clemson vs Notre Dame 2018 Cotton Bowl Lines & Preview

The Clemson Tigers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish enter their College Football Playoff semifinal as the first teams to match up in this round with unbeaten records. Clemson has not appeared in the Cotton Bowl since 1940, when they beat Boston College. Notre Dame makes their eighth appearance in this game, with their most famous showing a comeback win over Houston in 1979, led by Joe Montana, and their first since 1994, when they beat Texas A&M. The Irish are the first team outside the Power Five conferences to make the CFP, as they beat eight bowl teams in their unbeaten slate. Clemson beat 11 bowl teams, but they didn’t beat any elite teams — and they almost lost at Texas A&M, only winning by two. Notre Dame beat Michigan to start the season, but Clemson is still looking for that first win over top competition. The Tigers did go undefeated despite turnover at quarterback, as Deshaun Watson is gone — and so is Kelly Bryant, and now Trevor Lawrence leads the attack. Which team will advance from this semifinal? Can Clemson cover that double-digit spread? We have your NCAAF betting preview for this matchup right here.

Clemson vs Notre Dame 2018 Cotton Bowl Lines & Preview

When: Saturday, December 29, 2018, 4:00pm ET Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX TV: ESPN Radio: ESPN Radio Live Stream: WatchESPN 2018 Cotton Bowl Lines: Clemson -10.5 O/U 55

Why should you bet on the Tigers?

Clemson has one of the stoutest run defenses in the nation, permitting just 2.4 yards per attempt. The two teams that ran for more than 150 yards against the Tigers were Wake Forest, who lost to Clemson by 60, and Pitt, who lost by 32 in the ACC Championship. That defensive front is third in the nation in sacks and second in tackles for loss. Twenty-eight different Tigers have posted tackles for loss this season, led by Clelin Ferrell, Austin Bryant and Christian Wilkins. On offense, Trevor Lawrence has led a stellar passing game. However, the running game has run for more than 400 yards twice and for at least 240 yards in eight different games. In Clemson’s last two games, wins over South Carolina and Pitt, the team rumbled for 652 combined yards on the ground. If you like the Tigers in this game, you see them dominating the rhythm of the game with that grinding defense and running game, punctuating drives with big passing plays.

Why should you put your money on the Fighting Irish?

If there is a flaw in the Clemson defense, it is their secondary. When Clemson almost lost at Texas A&M, Aggie quarterback Kellen Mond threw for 430 yards and three touchdowns — despite Mond living under pressure from that Clemson defensive line. Syracuse put up 250 passing yards and almost won at Clemson this year. South Carolina’s Jake Bentley threw for 510 yards and five scores. So Ian Book could emerge with a huge game of his own, and since he has replaced Brandon Wimbush, he has put up game after big game. Then there’s Notre Dame’s secondary. The Irish have faced a number of talented quarterbacks, but they permitted only seven touchdown passes while picking off a dozen throws this season. The only team to put up two touchdown passes on Notre Dame was Virginia Tech, but the unit has only allowed two scoring passes in the last six games. So if you like the Irish, you see them forcing the Tigers to beat them on the ground and play a slower game.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

Clemson wins the battle of the lines in this game, and unless Trevor Lawrence just has an awful game, that battle should determine the outcome of this game. I predict a final score of Clemson 34, Notre Dame 23, which means that Clemson covers — but watch that line. If it shifts to 12 points or more, I’d take the Irish.