by Chuck Sommers
Thursday, Nov 03, 2022
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN
Where to watch: NBC/Peacock
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Clemson -3.5
FanDuel: Clemson -3.5
BetMGM: Clemson -4
Caesars: Clemson -3.5
Season record
No. 4 Clemson: 8-0
Notre Dame: 5-3
We're coming down to the wire in what should be an exciting final month of the college football season. The conference championship chases are on, bowl games are to be decided, and who gets into the College Football Playoff is anybody's guess to this point. If you're still trying to figure out who's the best to play at this point of the year, look no further than our champion handicappers leading the way in the college football world. Our own Kyle Hunter is 23-8-0 over the last month, while Brian Bitler is 21-13-0 in the run. Kyle's reeled in a net profit of over $14,000. Now you feel like you should be getting on the action, huh? Make sure you go check out bigal.com to see all of the work our champion handicappers are trying to do to get money in YOUR pocket with our selections. Make sure to hit up our Best Bets page for more!
Clemson - Notre Dame preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
Clemson: Bye (won 27-21 vs. No. 14 Syracuse on Oct. 22)
Notre Dame: won 41-24 at No. 16 Syracuse on Oct. 29
Leave it to an early-November matchup to potentially throw a wrench in the Clemson Tigers' plans. Are they good enough to win another national championship? Probably not. Are they going to get the benefit of the doubt the rest of the way if they win out? Absolutely. But are we really going to discount the Notre Dame Fighting Irish? Right now? When they're the hottest they've been all years?
Do so at your own risk. You can read the trends below. You see how much of an uphill climb it is for Clemson in this one. With the line hitting as high as 4 points for Clemson, the spread doesn't bode well for the Tigers in this one. And if there was a time for Notre Dame to be playing well, coming off a ranked win on the road in Syracuse, now might be the time for Notre Dame to shock some folks.
Yes, it almost seems ridiculous to think that Notre Dame, after the start to the year it had and the inability to play like a top-tier team, would all of a sudden get it together now with Marcus Freeman righting the ship. But here are the Irish, winners of four of five after a tough win in the Carrier Dome, and now come home to a charged-up crowd as it tends to be in South Bend and a realistic chance to put the biggest wrench into the plans of the College Football Playoff committee we've seen to this point.
Clemson is coming off a bye week but having barely survived at home against the aforementioned Syracuse club that was the nation's darlings at one point. But Clemson, following 6-point wins against Florida State and Syracuse, might be on the ropes fighting the 8-count. D.J. Uiagalelei still can't be trusted, so much so that he was benched for Cade Klubnik because he was doing so poorly against Syracuse. Klubnik led them on the comeback.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney assured everyone after that Uiagalelei is the starter this week. But one would have to imagine the leash will be very, very short if he can't rally this group to a victory in South Bend. Good news is the quarterback battle might be in his favor. Drew Pyne completed just 9 of 19 for 116 yards, a touchdown and an interception. That's been the weak link for Notre Dame this year. The Irish need the running game or defense to step up in a big way for a big-time win.
Prediction
It comes down to who you trust more. If Clemson has to go to Klubnik in South Bend, the Tigers won't be able to come back from this. Notre Dame with the outright upset seems like the sexy pick in this, and I think they find a way to get the job done. Notre Dame by 3
Leave it to an early-November matchup to potentially throw a wrench in the Clemson Tigers' plans. Are they good enough to win another national championship? Probably not. Are they going to get the benefit of the doubt the rest of the way if they win out? Absolutely. But are we really going to discount the Notre Dame Fighting Irish? Right now? When they're the hottest they've been all years?
Do so at your own risk. You can read the trends below. You see how much of an uphill climb it is for Clemson in this one. With the line hitting as high as 4 points for Clemson, the spread doesn't bode well for the Tigers in this one. And if there was a time for Notre Dame to be playing well, coming off a ranked win on the road in Syracuse, now might be the time for Notre Dame to shock some folks.
Yes, it almost seems ridiculous to think that Notre Dame, after the start to the year it had and the inability to play like a top-tier team, would all of a sudden get it together now with Marcus Freeman righting the ship. But here are the Irish, winners of four of five after a tough win in the Carrier Dome, and now come home to a charged-up crowd as it tends to be in South Bend and a realistic chance to put the biggest wrench into the plans of the College Football Playoff committee we've seen to this point.
Clemson is coming off a bye week but having barely survived at home against the aforementioned Syracuse club that was the nation's darlings at one point. But Clemson, following 6-point wins against Florida State and Syracuse, might be on the ropes fighting the 8-count. D.J. Uiagalelei still can't be trusted, so much so that he was benched for Cade Klubnik because he was doing so poorly against Syracuse. Klubnik led them on the comeback.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney assured everyone after that Uiagalelei is the starter this week. But one would have to imagine the leash will be very, very short if he can't rally this group to a victory in South Bend. Good news is the quarterback battle might be in his favor. Drew Pyne completed just 9 of 19 for 116 yards, a touchdown and an interception. That's been the weak link for Notre Dame this year. The Irish need the running game or defense to step up in a big way for a big-time win.
Prediction
It comes down to who you trust more. If Clemson has to go to Klubnik in South Bend, the Tigers won't be able to come back from this. Notre Dame with the outright upset seems like the sexy pick in this, and I think they find a way to get the job done. Notre Dame by 3
Betting trends
Clemson is 14-18 ATS as a favorite the last three years; 4-4 this season.
Clemson is 7-6 ATS in road games the last three years; 3-1 this season.
Clemson is 2-7 ATS in non-conference games the last three years; 0-2 this season.
Clemson is 1-6 ATS the last three years off a win by 6 or less.
Notre Dame is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 ACC games; 2-0 this season.
Notre Dame is 7-0 ATS the last three years after winning four of five.
Notre Dame is 7-0 ATS in its last seven November games.
Statistical leaders
Clemson:
Passing: D.J. Uiagalelei -- 1,803 yards, 17 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Will Shipley -- 739 yards, 10 TD
Receiving: Antonio Williams -- 364 yards, 2 TD
Notre Dame:
Passing: Drew Pyne -- 1,193 yards, 13 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Audric Estime -- 558 yards, 8 TD
Receiving: Michael Mayer -- 580 yards, 6 TD
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Clemson Tigers - Notre Dame Fighting Irish prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college football projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
