Clemson vs. Notre Dame Betting: Shaky Tigers should be on upset alert against surging Irish

To the surprise of some, Clemson ended up in the top four of this week’s College Football Playoff rankings ahead of Michigan. But will it be a short stay for the Tigers? A big test could be ahead at Notre Dame on Saturday night.

This will be the Tigers’ first game since they needed to rally to defeat Syracuse 27-21 at home two weeks ago.

They were down 21-10 to the Orange in the third quarter when starting QB DJ Uiagalelei was pulled in favor of freshman Cade Klubnik, and the switch paid off with 17 unanswered points to finish the game.

Uiagalelei is still the starter ahead of the non-conference matchup with the Fighting Irish, who are coming off of a 41-24 win at Syracuse last weekend.

After producing a big performance to deliver an upset on the road, can Notre Dame do the same to push Clemson out of the CFP picture?

Clemson Tigers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: #4 Clemson Tigers (8-0) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-3)
• Venue & Location: Notre Dame Stadium (Notre Dame, Indiana)
• Date: Saturday, November 5, 2022
• Game Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time
• How to Watch Clemson vs. Notre Dame: NBC/Peacock

Clemson vs. Notre Dame Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline as of Friday, November 4 at 10:45 a.m. Eastern.

Spread

• Clemson -3.5 (-105)
• Notre Dame +3.5 (-115)

Over/Under

• Over 44.5 (-105)
• Under 44.5 (-115)

Moneyline

• Clemson -176
• Notre Dame +146

Is Clemson in Serious Trouble?

So far, the Tigers have managed to survive any hairy situations they have found themselves in.

They needed two overtimes and a career day for Uiagalelei to see off Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, let Florida State back into their 34-28 win in Tallahassee after being up by 20 in the fourth quarter, and then wriggled their way out of a mess against Syracuse last time out.

But how much longer can they live dangerously?

Uiagalelei’s continued inconsistency is the major issue, but it’s not the only one. Things were trending up for him, but he had a major step back against the Orange, throwing two interceptions before the coaches decided to switch things up.

We know now that Dabo Swinney will make a change if needed, so he isn’t on an unlimited leash. But this is not a position that they will want to be in this environment.

Their defense, while extremely talented, has shown some vulnerability. We’ll never know how things would have transpired had Syracuse running back Sean Tucker had gotten much more than the five carries he had at Clemson, but the Tigers allowed 206 rushing yards on 6.1 yards per attempt at Florida State.

The Tigers may rank 7th in the country in rushing yards allowed per game (87.9) and 11th in yards allowed per attempt, but they are certainly not impenetrable and will be tested by Notre Dame, whose offensive strength is the ground game.

The Irish rank 38th in the country in yards per game (186.6) and outside of the top 50 in yards per attempt (4.4), but they have hit the 200-yard mark four times in their last five games.

Game-by-Game Rushing Statistics for Notre Dame

• Ohio State: 30 attempts, 76 yards (2.5 yards per attempt)
• Marshall: 37 attempts, 130 yards (3.5 yards per attempt)
• Cal: 41 attempts, 147 yards (3.6 yards per attempt)
• North Carolina: 51 attempts, 287 yards (5.6 yards per attempt)
• BYU: 45 attempts, 234 yards (5.2 yards per attempt)
• Stanford: 34 attempts, 150 yards (4.4 yards per attempt)
• UNLV: 47 attempts, 223 yards (4.7 yards per attempt)
• Syracuse: 56 attempts, 246 yards (4.4 yards per attempt)

Clemson vs. Notre Dame Prediction and Best Bets

Clemson vs. Notre Dame Prediction: Notre Dame to win

Clemson vs. Notre Dame Best Bets: Notre Dame to cover (Best Value: +3.5 @ -105 at BetOnline) & Clemson/Notre Dame over (Best Value: over 44 @ -110 at Bovada Sportsbook & BetUS)

Uiagalelei has shown that he can bounce back from struggles previously, so he certainly shouldn’t be counted out at this point. Perhaps a break and returning to the scene of one of his best performances will help.

However, a defense that is averaging three sacks per game and allows opposing quarterbacks to complete only 56.6 percent of their passes is going to be a tough matchup, especially in this setting.

On the other side of the ball, the Tigers will have their hands full with Irish RBs Audric Estime, Logan Diggs, and Chris Tyree. If the Irish can avoid turning the ball over and keep churning out yards on the ground, they can control the clock like they ideally want to.

This game won’t have the same kind of scoring than their previous matchup at Notre Dame Stadium, a 47-40 win for the Irish two seasons ago.

But I actually like the over here. Clemson’s 27 points against Syracuse was a season low, while Notre Dame has scored 24+ points five times in their last six games and appears to be headed in a promising direction since being held to 14 points by Stanford last month.

But who will come out on top? I’m rarely drawn to Notre Dame, but I like them a lot in this spot. I think this matchup is happening at a good time for the Irish and not such a great time for the Tigers, even if it is after they have had some time to rest and regroup after the close call against Syracuse.

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