Will Clemson be upset by Notre Dame?

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers have a big one Saturday as they head to South Bend to take on Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame. 

This matchup with Notre Dame is a big one for Clemson as the team ranks No.4 in the first College Football Playoff rankings though losing to the Fighting Irish would almost entirely kill the team’s playoff aspirations. Right now, it looks like the Tigers will have to win out to make it back to the playoff. 

On paper, Clemson is the better team and shouldn’t have many issues pulling off a win in South Bend. On the other hand, games aren’t played on paper, and this one is expected to be a close one. 

According to USA Today Sports’ Erick Smith, he believes it is Notre Dame who will be celebrating at the end of Saturday night. 

Here’s what Smith had to say: 

Notre Dame upsets playoff race with win vs. Clemson

Trying to make sense out the Fighting Irish is a losing proposition. They gave Ohio State a tough game on the road then lost at home to Marshall. They beat North Carolina and Syracuse on the road but have also lost at home to Stanford. So what does this all mean with Clemson coming to town, needing to avoid a loss to stay in control of its College Football Playoff destiny? Expect Notre Dame to be up for the game and this one to go the full four quarters. The Tigers haven’t been overwhelming away from home and if the pressure of the moment gets to DJ Uiagalelei then switching to true freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik might not go so well on the road. Look for the Irish to be the ones celebrating Saturday night in the first signature win of the Marcus Freeman era. — Erick Smith

This was a weird one, as Smith isn’t necessarily saying much about how Notre Dame will win, just that they will. It seems to be more about Clemson than Notre Dame here.

Regardless of what Smith thinks, Clemson will have to play great football to pull off a win this Saturday.