Clemson vs. Notre Dame Total Prediction
When it comes to the total, what is the best play for bettors in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic between Notre Dame and Clemson? The Fighting Irish and Tigers will meet in the college football playoff semi-final today at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Game Snapshot
255 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. 256 Clemson Tigers
4:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, December 29, 2018
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Tigers are 11.5-point favorites to beat the Fighting Irish. The total, meanwhile, sits at 57.5 points. As of this writing, 62% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Irish.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame redshirt sophomore QB Ian Book completed 22-of-39 passes for 352 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-17 victory over USC on Saturday. The 352 yards and two touchdowns are nice, and Book was able to make some plays with his legs to keep drives alive. The truth, however, is that Book really struggled with accuracy in the win over the Trojans, and missed on several throws that we’ve seen him make all year. No matter, the Irish get the big win, and they are all but assuredly going to be playing in the playoffs this January.
Clemson Tigers
Pro Football Focus’s Steve Palazzolo ranks Clemson freshman QB Trevor Lawrence at the top of the quarterbacks playing in bowls in terms of NFL potential. Lawrence (6’6/215) ranks ahead of Oregon’s Justin Herbert (2nd), Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray (4th) and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa (7th), just to name a select few. The freshman quarterback has Clemson playing for a chance at a national championship, and for the most part, he’s looked good doing it. “He has the nation’s lowest percentage of turnover-worthy plays at 1.2 percent,” Palazzolo writes, “an incredible number for a true freshman, especially given his ability to stretch the field with his big arm.” We have a clear favorite for the 2021 draft already.
Betting Trends
Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish are 6-2-1 against the spread in their last nine games overall.
Clemson
The Tigers are 7-1 against the number in their last eight bowl games.
Prediction
Even without suspended defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, I don’t have confidence that Notre Dame will move the ball against this Clemson defense with any consistency. They struggled for most of the night against Southern Cal in their regular season finale and the Tigers have one of the best defenses in the nation, holding opponents to under 14 points per game this season. While Clemson has the speed to give Notre Dame’s defense fits, the Irish should hold the Tigers’ scoring at least somewhat in check. The under is 4-1 in the Irish’s last five neutral site games and is 11-5 in the Tigers’ last 16 bowl games.
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Prediction: Notre Dame/Clemson under 57.5