The biggest game for Notre Dame fans is an obvious one, that being when Clemson comes to South Bend on November 7. It will be just the fourth-ever meeting between the schools and Clemson’s first trip to Notre Dame since 1979.
Couple that with Trevor Lawrence and plenty of friends returning for the Tigers, who may be two-time defending national champions at that point and it could be the biggest game at Notre Dame Stadium since arguably the 2005 clash with USC.
247 Sports ranked that game the game they’re third most-excited for in 2020 with it trailing only Ohio State traveling to Oregon in September and Alabama and Georgia meeting in the regular season (non-SEC Championship) for the first time since 2015.
They also rank Notre Dame’s trip to Lambeau Field to take on Wisconsin in Week Five as the tenth most exciting matchup next season.
It’s hard to argue that either belong, my only argument would be that the Clemson match-up should be higher, although I get why it isn’t.
Notre Dame may be getting their experienced signal-caller back but what they won’t be getting is a top ten returning quarterback.
At least not according to Pro Football Focus.
Notre Dame received great news on December 29 when starting quarterback Ian Book took to social media to announce that he would be returning to South Bend for one final season.
The Irish get their QB-1 back and their starter since he took over for Brandon Wimbush in late September of 2018.
All he’s done since is help guide the Irish to their only ever College Football Playoff appearance and helped lead them to victories in 19 of his 22 career starts.
Notre Dame may be getting their experienced signal-caller back but what they won’t be getting is a top ten returning quarterback.
What you did find however was that the best returning quarterback will be in South Bend on November 7 as Trevor Lawrence was given that honor (no surprise).
Jamie Newman checked in at number three and was supposed to take on Notre Dame as Wake Forest’s quarterback but he announced recently that he’d be transferring and is yet to announce his next destination.
It’s not surprising to see Book unranked as I can’t put him over anyone on the list. I am however more optimistic than some about the steps he may be able to take before the regular season as I thought he played perhaps his best month of football to date this past November.
With that said, I’m not going to argue that he was wronged in any way as the difference in quarterback play in two of Notre Dame’s three most recent losses (Clemson ’18, Georgia ’19) has been as glaring as anything else on the field.
The Tigers from Death Valley are definitely going to win.
Welcome to Before The Snap, For The Win’s college football show where we’ll break down the sport’s trending storylines, examine each week’s biggest matchups and track the College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy races.
The Tigers from Death Valley are playing the Tigers from Death Valley in the 2019-20 College Football Playoff national championship game Monday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), and it’s going to be so much fun.
Both undefeated, No. 1 LSU and No. 3 Clemson will face off for a perfect season — and a second consecutive one with a 30-game win streak should Clemson win. LSU destroyed No. 4 Oklahoma while Clemson narrowly topped No. 2 Ohio State in a thriller, and the final two title contenders will have more than two weeks prepare for the biggest game of the season and get healthy.
Five days before the title game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LSU is a 6-point favorite over Clemson, but that seems likely to change in the couple days before kick off.
Both teams are 14-0 ahead of this final game and are led by brilliant coaches and two of the best quarterbacks in the game. But here’s why LSU is going to win Monday night. (You can also read about why Clemson is going to win.)
(Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
3 reasons why LSU will win the national championship
1. Joe Burrow: This is, by far, the most obvious reason here, but it can’t be overlooked. The LSU quarterback has had a truly unbelievable season, practically doubling his stats from a decent 2018 campaign. Through 14 games, he has a 77.6 completion percentage and has thrown for more than 5,200 yards, along with 55 touchdowns. Against the Sooners, he and LSU set all kinds of crazy records. He was the first player to account for eight touchdowns in a bowl game — he threw seven — and his 493 passing yards also set a playoff game record. There’s a reason he won the Heisman Trophy and is the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and LSU can’t complete its perfect season without him.
2. Extra rest: In general, it’s a good thing when you have a large enough lead that your starting quarterback doesn’t have to finish the game. When it happens in a playoff semifinal game, that’s even better. Some LSU starters didn’t have to play the full 60 minutes against Oklahoma, which means a tiny bit of extra rest — even with the two-week break before the title game. And perhaps no one benefited more from LSU’s demolition of the Sooners than running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. He injured his hamstring in practice during the week leading up to the semifinal game, and coach Ed Orgeron knew he wouldn’t be 100 percent. As one of the best running backs in college football, he only carried the ball twice and was able to rest as his team cruised to victory. A little extra rest might not matter with two weeks without a game, but then again, even the tiniest advantage could be the difference.
(Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports)
3. It’s all coming together: OK, this may seem like a cop-out, but whatever. LSU has had a storybook season with the Heisman winner leading an explosive offense and a coach loved by college football fans everywhere. The Tigers have had a dominant season all around and are beating teams by an average of more than 27 points. Plus, the national championship game is basically at home for them because Baton Rouge is only about an hour away from the Superdome. It just seems like everything is lining up for them.
Michelle’s pick: LSU Evan’s pick: Clemson
The 2019-20 College Football Playoff national championship game is Monday, January 13 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Welcome to Before The Snap, For The Win’s college football show where we’ll break down the sport’s trending storylines, examine each week’s biggest matchups and track the College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy races.
The Tigers from Death Valley are playing the Tigers from Death Valley in the 2019-20 College Football Playoff national championship game Monday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), and it’s going to be so much fun.
No. 1 LSU and No. 3 Clemson will face off at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans with a perfect season on the line. Less than a week before the final college football game of the season, LSU is a 6-point favorite, but that seems likely to shrink in the couple days before kick off.
To get here, Clemson beat No. 2 Ohio State in a semifinal thriller after LSU crushed No. 4 Oklahoma on the last Saturday in December, meaning the teams will have a little more than two weeks to prepare for the biggest game of the season.
Both teams have had incredible seasons and enter the final game with 14-0 records, and they’re both led by brilliant coaches and two of the best quarterbacks in the game. But here’s why Clemson will win Monday night.
(Norm Hall/Getty Images)
3 reasons why Clemson will win the national championship
1. Championship experience: Clemson is making its fourth appearance in the national championship game in five years while playing for its third title in four seasons. Last season, so many people assumed Alabama would take the Tigers down and win it all, and the exact opposite happened with Clemson rocking the Crimson Tide, 44-16. Obviously, players graduate or leave early for the NFL, but that championship mentality and experience as a group is important. Not to mention that the team is on a 29-game win streak — it hasn’t lost since January 2018 — with a chance to go 30-0 and win back-to-back titles.
2. Trevor Lawrence: But not in the way you think. T-Law is one of the most talented quarterbacks to play the game, but it’s typically his arm that dazzles fans. But in the semifinal, he beat Ohio State’s top-10 rushing defense and ran for 107 yards and a touchdown, which came on this stunning 67-yard play.
WOW.
Trevor Lawrence takes the ball 67-yards up the gut for a TD.
It was, by far, his best game on the ground to date and his first with more than 100 yards. And if he can move like that against LSU’s No. 24 rushing defense, it’s another difficult factor to defend.
3. Resilience: Down 16-0 midway through the second quarter against Ohio State, Clemson looked like it was in trouble. The Tigers were struggling to contain J.K. Dobbins, and it seemed like one more score for the Buckeyes could keep a win out of Clemson’s reach. But Dabo Swinney’s team fought back and trailed by only two points at halftime. Capitalizing on multiplecontroversialmoments and breakdowns in Ohio State’s defense, Clemson took control of the nail-biter. The game resembled the team’s early struggles this season when it still found a way to win, showing this team has had championship DNA in it all year.
Michelle’s pick: LSU Evan’s pick: Clemson
The 2019-20 College Football Playoff national championship game is Monday, January 13 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Don’t you want to be the one to end Clemson’s streak?
Does it make sense for Notre Dame fans to be pulling for one of Clemson or LSU more than the other in next Monday night’s college football national championship?
Neither are anything near a traditional rival, although Notre Dame and LSU have matched up six times since 1997 with the Irish taking four of those matchups.
Meanwhile Notre Dame has played Clemson twice recently, one being a heart-breaking loss in a hurricane back in 2015 and the other being in the 2018 Cotton Bowl when the Tigers erupted in the second quarter to eliminate the Irish, 30-3.
We’ll look at why and why not to root for both teams in the final collegiate football game until August.
Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence spoke to the media two days after the Fiesta Bowl and gave Ohio State credit for a tough and physical game.
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been in a big game or two, even at his young age. Just a sophomore, Lawrence has played the likes of Texas A&M, Florida State, Notre Dame, and of course Alabama. That’s not to mention rivalry games with South Carolina and a whole host of ACC teams over the past two seasons.
But Saturday against Ohio State was different according to Lawrence. While appearing with the media two days after the thrilling Fiesta Bowl Saturday, the Tigers’ quarterback said that playing the Buckeyes was the most physical game he’s been a part of to date.
“It’s a good feeling when you wake up and feel that way. A bunch of guys felt that way. Hats off to Ohio State, that game was so tough.”
That is especially notable when you think about all the athletes, physicality, and talent on Alabama’s team last year. Clemson took the Tide behind the woodshed for a national championship, but that doesn’t take away from the collection of bad intentions a Nick Saban led team has.
Lawrence said Saturday was most physical game he's ever played in. Most sore he's ever felt a day after a game. "It's a good feeling when you wake up and feel that way. A bunch of guys felt that way. Hats off to Ohio State, that game was so tough."
So, yeah — it was a bitter and disappointing loss Saturday night, but Ohio State players and fans should be proud that the team showed up and gave Clemson all it could handle and then some.
Trevor Lawrence explained that the play wasn’t working in practice.
It’s easy to see why Trevor Lawrence didn’t love the play which would ultimately send the Clemson Tigers to the College Football National Championship after a 29-23 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the semifinal.
It was an odd trick play, which looks a lot like what former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow used to run. Still, Lawrence faked a quarterback dive before connecting with running back Travis Etienne for a 34-yard touchdown pass.
“Honestly, I wasn’t a big fan of the play in practice,” Lawrence said after Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl, via TheState.com. “It’s tough if the defense doesn’t really bite on it, if that safety comes up hard and takes it away. I felt like it was good just because of how well we set it up throughout the game. I thought it was gonna work then, but throughout the week I was like, ‘I don’t really know about this play.’”
Lawrence took the snap from shotgun and pretended to rush toward the right side of the offensive line. While Lawrence had 16 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown, he looked awfully comfortable throwing from the pocket on Saturday. But this play drew him out of the pocket and closer to the offensive line (and therefore closer to danger), where his visibility probably isn’t great. At the last moment, he popped up and delivered a strike to an pass-catcher — just like it’s designed.
The misdirection of the play can get the defense out of position, much like it did in the fourth quarter in Clemson’s win over the Buckeyes. It worked, in part, because the Buckeyes defense was trying to stop Lawrence as a runner. That created a throwing window for Lawrence and then room to run after the catch ofEtienne. Apparently, in practice, the play didn’t work quiet as smoothly as it did in the game.
Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields face off in an early preview of the battle for the top pick in the 2021 NFL draft
We’re still more than a year away from the 2021 NFL draft, but this year’s College Football Playoff is giving us an early preview of the top two candidates to go No. 1 overall in that class.
Saturday afternoon, Ohio State and Clemson will battle it out in the Fiesta Bowl for the chance to play for a national title. Leading them will be the two best prospects in the 2021 draft class.
After he torched Alabama in last year’s title game, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence was immediately crowned a future No. 1 pick, albeit two years before he could even be eligible. He’s experienced his rough patches throughout his sophomore season for the Tigers, but still has a rare skill set that should have him firmly planted in that conversation next offseason.
Once buried behind Jake Fromm at Georgia, Justin Fields transferred to Ohio State, replacing first-rounder Dwayne Haskins and leading the Buckeyes to a Big Ten title and a berth in this year’s playoff. His athleticism and versatility and well-documented, but it’s his prowess as a passer, both inside the pocket and when things break down, that will have him challenging Lawrence for the chance to go No. 1 overall in 2021.
Obviously, plenty can change in a year. Both of these talented passers will have to avoid major injury, and continue their development at their current pace to fend off the other in the race to the top of next year’s draft.
But they both have the talent and potential, along with the coaching staff and supporting cast, to end up at the top of the draft board when April 2021 rolls around.
Don’t miss Saturday’s chance to see them both face off with a trip to the national championship on the line.
If Ohio State is going to be Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl, it’ll have to follow and execute its game plan. Here are 3 keys to the game.
And here we are on the doorstep of the biggest game Ohio State football has had in three years (sorry Michigan). In fact, it was the last time the Buckeyes matched up with Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl that we had the same type of implications. The desired destination is the College Football Playoff after all. Hopefully though, things end a little better this time around.
There’s no way around it. Beating a Clemson team on top of the college football world right now is going to be a Lord of the Rings type of journey with everyone pulling their weight. But let it be known, despite most of the media-types out there siding with the Tigers in this one, Ohio State has the horses, athletes, and coaching to get it done.
However, there’s certain things that will have to go OSU’s way if it expects to slay the dragon and make it to the next step of the journey in New Orleans. From there, it’ll have the opportunity to win the program’s ninth national championship (depending on what and how you count).
So what exactly is do the Buckeyes have to do for this thing to have confetti falling on them rather than a Clemson team? Here’s three things we think have to happen to make that a possibility.
Both teams met with the media today at the Fiesta Bowl. Find out what select members of Clemson’s offense said about Ohio State.
While you were getting ready for Christmas and whatever shenanigans and celebrations you’ll be a part of tonight and tomorrow, the Fiesta Bowl set up a little media event for select Ohio State and Clemson players and coaches.
We normally bring you the comments of the other team after an Ohio State game, but in this case we have a ton of quotes from a few of the most notable players and coaches getting ready to suit up for the defending national champion Tigers.
We had defensive and offensive players and coaches to speak on what they saw on both sides of the ball for the Buckeyes and we’re bringing them all to you.
So, here we go, with the offensive players and coaches up first.
Ohio State vs. Clemson Enemy Territory Fiesta bowl preview. Get to know the Tigers https://t.co/8dv3Rt1xTN
