Why Sporting News Named Notre Dame-Clemson Its Game Of The Year
No one has to remind Notre Dame coaches, players or fans about the Irish’s Nov. 7 opponent and the magnitude of the game.
The team will assuredly hear it discussed frequently until then and have its prior games dissected to determine if that week’s effort was enough to beat Clemson. Notre Dame’s postseason aspirations will be shaped by how they fare against the Tigers in South Bend on the first weekend of November. Many will use that game as a referendum on Notre Dame’s 2020 season too, fair or not.
Clemson has been a standard-setter in recent years, with two national titles and five straight playoff appearances. The visit to Notre Dame Stadium is a prime chance for the Irish to prove their title aspirations are legitimate, that they can beat and are not outclassed by the sport’s heavyweights. That’s one not-yet-achieved piece of Brian Kelly’s 10 years so far.
The Tigers, meanwhile, haven’t played a road game against a team of Notre Dame’s expected caliber in a few seasons. All the ingredients for a classic are there, and accordingly, Sporting News christened it the best non-conference game of the 2020 season.
“Looking at the schedule, it's a decent bet that both teams have matching 8-0 records when they meet in South Bend, and that would create the backdrop for one of those games that lives on forever,” Sporting News’ Bill Bender wrote. “Notre Dame is 2-5 all time when the No. 1 team in the country visits South Bend, and that includes victories against Miami in ‘Catholics vs. Convicts’ and the upset against Florida State in 1993.
“This game — a rematch of the 2018 Cotton Bowl Classic that would feature Trevor Lawrence and Ian Book in a rematch — could have that kind of heat on it if the Tigers are the top team in the country.”
Clemson is likely to open the year as the No. 1 team in the country, led by Lawrence, the presumed first overall pick in next year’s draft. The Tigers have lost two ACC games in the last five years, steamrolling through a conference that has produced no equal in that span. It has been one criticism of their regular season record and recent playoff seedings, though consternation quelled with a national title in 2018 and title game appearance in 2019.
The pre-Notre Dame slate is manageable. So is Notre Dame’s pre-Clemson schedule.
“Clemson hasn't lost a regular season game since Oct. 13, 2017 — a streak of 29 games that should extend well into the 2020 season,” Bender wrote in another piece detailing the game. “Five of the Tigers' first eight games are at home, and they have a bye week before the Nov. 7 trip to South Bend.
“Notre Dame, meanwhile, does have a marquee game on at Lambeau Field against Wisconsin. The only true road games before the Clemson showdown are at Navy and Pitt. If the Irish can beat the Badgers and rival Stanford, then they should be 8-0 when the Tigers visit.”
A No. 1 team has not visited South Bend since 2005, when USC won the “Bush Push” game 34-31 on Oct. 15. The Irish last defeated the top-ranked team at home when they took down Florida State 31-24 in 1993. They have been ranked in the top 10 for six of their seven all-time home games vs. the No. 1 team. Early 2020 preseason rankings have them as a fringe top-10 team.
Notre Dame lost its last two meetings with Clemson – first a 24-22 road defeat where the Irish’s game-tying two-point conversion attempt failed in the final seconds. They united again in the 2018 College Football Playoff, and Clemson won 30-3.
----
• Talk about it inside Rockne’s Roundtable
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Sign up for Blue & Gold's news alerts and daily newsletter
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @Rivals_Singer, @PatrickEngel_, @ToddBurlage and @AndrewMentock.
• Like us on Facebook.