Notre Dame a +600 Longshot to Win ACC Title; Can the Irish Challenge Clemson?

• Clemson is still listed as a commanding favorite in the ACC despite the addition of Notre Dame
• Notre Dame opens its season against Duke on September 12th
• Read below to find out if the Fighting Irish are a strong value bet to win the ACC

Notre Dame is the newest member of the ACC but do they have a shot at winning the conference in 2020?

2020 ACC Title Odds

*Odds taken Aug. 7th.

Clemson has won the last five conference championships and are again atop the table in the 2020 ACC title odds. That said, I think Notre Dame provides incredible value at +600 for three key reasons.

Brian Kelly Is An Elite Coach

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has long been considered the class of the ACC but that’s no longer the case. The Fighting Irish are led by Brian Kelly and he is the only two-time winner of the coach of the year award in the last decade.

🍀 @NDFootball’s Brian Kelly is the only two-time winner in the last 10 years

Who will win AP Coach of the Year this season? pic.twitter.com/b56lh7Yxhj

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) July 6, 2020

Kelly has four double-digit win seasons in the last five years and is a combined 23-3 the last two years. That record has come with a challenging schedule, unlike the cupcake filled gauntlet Clemson usually challenges itself with. Kelly will have Notre Dame prepared to compete this season, particularly when they host the Tigers on November 7th.

Can Ian Book Hang With Trevor Lawrence?

Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book is a fringe Heisman Trophy candidate and has put up some big numbers in the past. Last season he threw for 34 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions. Nobody will make the case he has the NFL chops quite like Clemson’s Lawrence, who is projected to be the 1st overall pick in the next draft. That doesn’t mean Book isn’t capable of having great success in short spurts, enough to compete for the conference title.

Passing grade when throwing into a tight window:

1. Joe Burrow – 81.7
2. Jamie Newman – 77.2
3. Trevor Lawrence – 66.3 pic.twitter.com/jTBLTKF5Mf

— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) July 30, 2020

There is one aspect of the game in particular to watch when it comes to Book. His passing completion dipped from 68.2% in 2018 to 60.2% in 2019. If he can reset his fundamentals and get back to delivering an accurate ball, the Irish are more than capable of pulling an upset against an opponent who isn’t used to playing stiff competition mid-year.

Clemson Without Key Players Who Moved On

The NFL draft wasn’t kind to Clemson this year. They lost Isaiah Simmons and A.J. Terrell in the opening round and Tee Higgins with the first pick in the 2nd round. That’s 3 players who were in the top 33 prospects who moved on to the next level. As well as Swinney does with recruiting, that’s a good amount of fire power to replace on the fly.

The X Factor. pic.twitter.com/9HeyAPV2Jc

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) August 2, 2020

You’ll notice I haven’t mentioned any competition beyond Clemson and that’s because I don’t think there is any. They are clearly the top two teams in the conference. When you consider the Irish have a great coach, a capable quarterback and an opponent that will need to replace key players all over the field, it’s a tight race. The implied probably of a team getting +600 is 14.3% and I think Notre Dame has a much better chance than that of winning the title.

Pick: Notre Dame (+600)