Clemson vs Notre Dame Odds, Lines and Spread
- The Clemson Tigers are 5.5-point road favorites over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, November 7th (7:30 pm EST)
- Heisman Trophy hopeful Trevor Lawrence will miss his second straight game due to a positive COVID-19 test
- See below for analysis, odds and a betting prediction
Arguably the biggest game of the College Football season so far goes down on Saturday night (Nov. 7, 7:30 pm EST), without arguably the NCAA’s biggest star.
#1 Clemson takes on #4 Notre Dame, but will be without Heisman Trophy hopeful Trevor Lawrence for the second straight game due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Prior to Lawrence’s bout with the coronavirus, the Tigers were hefty -10.5 point favorites in the Week 10 lookahead lines. That number shrunk to -6 following Week 9, and the line has seen further movement in the Irish’s favor.
#1 Clemson vs #4 Notre Dame Week 10 Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clemson Tigers | -5.5 (-112) | -250 | Over 51.5 (-108) |
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish | +5.5 (-108) | +198 | Under 51.5 (-112) |
Odds taken Nov. 4th at FanDuel
Notre Dame Looks Dominant
Notre Dame is fresh off a convincing 31-13 victory over Georgia Tech, in a game they out-gained the Yellow Jackets by nearly 200 yards. Running back Kyren Williams turned in his third multi-touchdown game of the season, while QB Ian Book was an efficient 18-for-26, for 199 yards and a score.
Book ➡️ Wilkins Jr.
Eight yard catch by @joewilkinsjrr to put Notre Dame on the score board first.
Q1 | 6:16 left #GoIrish x @BeatGT pic.twitter.com/dzaRoYOhrY
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) October 31, 2020
The Fighting Irish improved to 6-0, and have won all but one game by at least two touchdowns. The defense held GT to 4.03 yards per play, and kept their opponent to 13 points or less for the fourth time in their past five outings.
Savage Mode- ACTIVATED 🔌🔌#GoIrish x #Rally pic.twitter.com/qXC4vf25nB
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) October 31, 2020
Notre Dame ranks fourth in the nation in points allowed per game (10.3) and is limiting opposing running backs to just 3.1 yards per carry. They’ll certainly have their hands full with Clemson, but this defense is one of the few in the country capable of slowing down the Tigers’ dynamic offense.
Uiagalelei Shines in Debut
Even without Lawrence, Clemson’s offense racked up impressive numbers in a 34-28 win over Boston College. Freshman QB DJ Uiagalelei was excellent in his first career start, completing 73.2% of his passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns. The five-star recruit also rushed for 25 yards and a score, while future NFL’er Travis Etienne racked up 224 all-purpose yards and two TD.
Meet DJ Uiagalelei.
The true freshman tosses a touchdown in his first drive as a starter filling in for Trevor Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/Kjkh1qElkq
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 31, 2020
The problem is, for the second straight game the Tigers found themselves in a real dog fight. Late in the second quarter, they trailed BC 28-10, and were forced to rally to squeak out a 7-point victory. The week prior versus Syracuse, the game was tight for the first three quarters before Clemson ultimately pulled away.
Those kind of performances are fine against teams ranked 49th and 99th respectively by ESPN’s FPI, but it won’t fly against a very good Fighting Irish squad.
Value on Irish
Dating back to last year, Notre Dame has won 12 straight games which is the longest active winning streak in the FBS. They rank 12th in offensive efficiency and 16th on the defensive side of the ball, making them by far the most complete team Clemson has faced this season.
FTB – For the Brotherhood. #GoIrish x #Rally pic.twitter.com/LW8BPC4sUj
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 1, 2020
The Tigers offense continued to churn out production with Uiagalelei under center, but it should be noted that he played the majority of the game in a clean pocket. Expect that to change on Saturday, as the Fighting Irish rank 16th in the nation in sacks per game, and eighth in tackles for loss.
5.5-points seems like an awful lot to lay on a team that has underachieved in back-to-back weeks, and is being led by a freshman QB making his first career road start.
Pick: Notre Dame Fighting Irish +5.5 (-108)
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
