The No. 3 Clemson Tigers (9-1 overall, 8-2 ACC) meet the No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-0, 9-0) in the ACC Championship Game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., for a 4 p.m. ET kickoff. Below, we analyze the Clemson-Notre Dame college football betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
The Tigers are ranked No. 3 and the Fighting Irish No. 2 in the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Clemson vs. Notre Dame: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 9:13 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Clemson -375 (bet $375 to win $100) | Notre Dame +300 (bet $100 to win $300)
- Against the spread/ATS: Clemson -10.5 (-105) | Notre Dame +10.5 (-115)
- Over/Under: 59.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Clemson vs. Notre Dame: Three things to know
- Clemson has won back-to-back games by 35 points each, after losing at Notre Dame 47-40 in double overtime Nov. 7. The Tigers also covered in their last two games after failing to cover in the previous three. Two of those ATS losses came with QB Trevor Lawrence out after testing positive for COVID-19. Freshman QB D.J. Uiagalelei, a five-star recruit, started in Lawrence’s place.
- Aside from Clemson and Louisville, Notre Dame has beaten each of its opponents by double-digits, including a 45-21 home win vs. Syracuse in its most recent outing Dec. 5. It went down as an ATS loss for the Fighting Irish, who were 34.5-point favorites, and snapped a three-game ATS win streak.
- The Fighting Irish handed the Tigers their only loss of the season, 47-40 in double overtime Nov. 7, but, again, Lawrence missed the game after testing positive for COVID-19.
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Clemson vs. Notre Dame: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Clemson 31, Notre Dame 27
Money line (ML)
PASS with a slight lean to Notre Dame (+300) since I generally like to sprinkle some cash on a big dog, which I plan on backing with a spread wager.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney deserves all the praise and money he earns, but Notre Dame has more active NFL players than the Tigers. There’s too much value on a Fighting Irish team that’s been an NFL factory since head coach Brian Kelly took over the program.
I am expecting this one to come down to the wire again, with Clemson prevailing this time, possibly setting up a third showdown in the College Football Playoff.
Against the spread (ATS)
There’s not a lot separating these teams, hence the No. 2 and No. 3 rankings, but the market seems to think otherwise. Clemson has been bet up from a 7.5-point favorite on the opening line to the current price. So, we have the fade the market angle in this spot.
The one differentiator I’ll point to that makes Notre Dame +10.5 (-115) the play here is an edge it has in sustaining drives. Notre Dame is way better on third downs both offensively and defensively, and is 10th in net time of possession. Also, the Fighting Irish have a better offensive first-down rate and lesser offensive busted drive rate by a wide margin, according to Football Outsiders.
The read: Notre Dame is more buttoned-up on offense. BET NOTRE DAME +10.5 (-115) for 1.5 units.
Over/Under (O/U)
It’s UNDER 59.5 (-110) or nothing for me on the total. More than 91% of the action is on the Over, according to Pregame.com, which makes sense as both offenses are high-scoring and efficient.
I am more fading the market and buying stock in talented defenses rather than handicapping the total. If I bet this total, it’s a small play only.
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