Click HERE to sign up for an annual subscription to BlueAndGold.com and get your FREE gift code for $99 in Irish apparel and gear!
The long wait finally ended on Sunday afternoon when four teams earned a nod into the fifth edition of the College Football Playoff.
After going 12-0 during the regular season, Notre Dame finished as the No. 3 seed for the playoff committee and will face No. 2 Clemson in the Cotton Bowl, which will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (home of the Dallas Cowboys).
With the selections of the four teams — Alabama and Oklahoma along with the Irish and Tigers — there was plenty of talk across the nation about the matchups and the playoff.
Check out some of what is being said about Notre Dame and the program's matchup with Clemson below.
ESPN Staff (Adam Rittenberg) — How the College Football Playoff teams got here
“Notre Dame coaches and players were surprisingly (and refreshingly) candid about their goals for 2018 after falling out of the playoff race last November.
“‘I don't think our eyes are on anything less than a national championship,’ linebacker Drue Tranquill said.
“‘We don't have anything else to play for,’" coach Brian Kelly added.
“The Irish earned the opportunity for the first time in the CFP era by posting their first perfect regular season since 2012, when they advanced to the BCS National Championship. They did it with a defense that went from dramatically improved in 2017 to nationally elite this fall under first-year coordinator Clark Lea. Notre Dame stifled Michigan in the opener, never allowed more than 27 points and held eight opponents to 17 points or less.
“There was a bit more drama on offense, as Notre Dame switched quarterbacks after Week 3. Book, who threw the winning touchdown against LSU in last season's Citrus Bowl, replaced Brandon Wimbush and flourished, throwing at least two touchdown passes in all eight of his starts and completing better than 71 percent of his passes in his first five starts.
“Notre Dame structured its offseason on handling chaos, with an eye toward a quirky closing five-game stretch that featured trips to San Diego, Chicago, Yankee Stadium and Los Angeles and only one home game. But a mature and sound team navigated November, punching its first playoff ticket a week early with a 24-17 victory over rival USC on Nov. 24.”
“Two years ago, Notre Dame went 4-8 and everybody thought Brian Kelly was going to be fired. Despite the rumors, Kelly knew he had to make critical changes to his program. He overhauled his staff and himself (he started doing yoga), and began spending more time with his players. In 2017, his team won 10 games and he was asked how Notre Dame would build off that success, especially after losing two top 10 NFL draft picks.
“The Fighting Irish responded by going 12-0 this season, which likely wouldn’t have happened if Kelly didn’t make the difficult decision to switch starting quarterbacks after the third game. Brandon Wimbush had gone 12-3 as a starter, but Ian Book opened up the offense and limited the amount of snaps the defense had to take. The plan worked and now Notre Dame will play in its first playoff.
“Clemson is in the playoff for the fourth time in a row. Last year, the Tigers got here despite one loss; this season, they ran the table and finished as undefeated ACC conference champions. Like Kelly, Dabo Swinney made the difficult decision early on to switch quarterbacks, starting the more productive freshman Trevor Lawrence over incumbent Kelly Bryant, who would later transfer.
“Once the offense started utilizing running back talent Travis Etienne, things opened up even more and Clemson began blowing teams out Alabama style, leaving no doubt they were one of the most dominant teams in the country.”
CBS Sports — CFP Preview: No. 2 Clemson vs No. 3 Notre Dame
Multiple members of the CBS Sports staff break down the Irish’s opening playoff matchup against the Tigers.
“The team that can rattle the opposing quarterback will win the Cotton Bowl. That's easier said than done, of course. One might think that Lawrence would stumble at least once as a freshman. That simply hasn't happened. He was fantastic as the backup to Kelly Bryant, who has since opted to transfer, and equally consistent upon his move into the starting lineup. Book has been a revelation, as an under-recruited prospect who ascended up the depth chart in September and has since tossed 19 touchdowns while completing more than 70 percent of his attempts.
“The Tigers' sense of security stems from the nation's most powerful defensive line. It's this group that should worry Notre Dame heading into the postseason: Clemson has four future NFL players in its starting lineup and an embarrassing wealth of riches in reserve. Senior Christian Wilkins and junior Dexter Lawrence key the interior while senior Austin Bryant, junior Clelin Ferrell and freshman Xavier Thomas bring pressure from the edges. Combined, it's a wealth of talent no team on Clemson's schedule has been able to handle.
“‘You have to go take it from them,’ Kelly said. ‘They are not going to give it to you.’”
“Notre Dame has faced off with similarly gifted defensive fronts, most notably in its season-opening win against Michigan. Overall, the Irish have allowed 19 sacks on the year, good for 29th in the Football Bowl Subdivision. But Clemson will provide a different test. How well the Irish respond to the Tigers' pressure from end to end is likely the Cotton Bowl's deciding factor."
Harry Lyles Jr., SB Nation — 4 reasons Clemson vs. Notre Dame is a really enticing Playoff matchup
“As expected, Clemson is No. 2 in the College Football Playoff seeding, and Notre Dame is No. 3. They’re going to play in the Cotton Bowl semifinal on Dec. 29.
1. Both of these teams are great, but it’s been a while since either’s gotten to show its stuff against an elite opponent.
“Notre Dame hasn’t gotten a chance to do that since it beat Michigan in Week 1. Clemson hasn’t had that kind of shot since ... last year’s Playoff against Alabama, though the Tigers did play and win a hard road game against Texas A&M in Week 2.”
2. Both teams also have outstanding defenses.
“Clemson is No. 1 in S&P+. It’s not surprising, given the defensive line boasts four likely high-round NFL picks in Clelin Ferrell, Austin Bryant, Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins.
“All are great. They’re also fun. Wilkins also has an ability to play basically anywhere on a football field. Both he and Lawrence have scored rushing touchdowns this year.
“You could’ve figured coming into this season that defense was going to be a Notre Dame strong suit, too, as the Irish brought back talent at every level from a top-30 unit last year. But things have still been better than was widely expected; Notre Dame’s No. 3 in Defensive S&P+ and has yet to give up more than 27 points in a game.
“The Irish do a great job limiting explosive plays. They haven’t let up a single 60-yard scrimmage play all year, and they’re No. 3 in Marginal Explosiveness allowed, an advanced stat that measures how successful plays are based on the down and distance.”
ESPN, First look at Alabama-Oklahoma and Clemson-Notre Dame
“The last time these two teams met in 2015, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney brought his own guts, Mother Nature brought torrential downpours and the Fighting Irish brought the eventual national runner-up to the brink of an upending home loss before falling just short on a failed two-point conversion in the final seconds.
“The college football universe would love a rematch with that kind of drama. This time the stakes are even higher with two undefeated teams battling for a spot in the national championship game.” …
Key matchup: “Trevor Lawrence vs. Notre Dame's pass defense. Lawrence emerged as Clemson's starter in late September after several weeks of splitting time with Kelly Bryant under center. He has yet to face a secondary with the talent and depth Notre Dame brings to the table during an exemplary rookie season. Then again, All-America candidate Julian Love, safety Alohi Gilman and a host of other playmaking threats on the back end of Notre Dame's defense haven't had to lock down a group of receivers that could match up with the options Lawrence has at his disposal. Lawrence has thrown only four interceptions all season, none of them in his past three games. If he has a mistake-free game again, Clemson should have a great chance to return to its third championship game in the past four years.”
----
• Talk about it inside Rockne’s Roundtable
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @BGI_CoachD, @BGI_DMcKinney and @BGI_CoreyBodden.
• Like us on Facebook.
