Ink on Indy
Fansided

Notre Dame Punches Ticket to College Football Playoff: Eyes Clemson

By Luke Allen

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 24: Chris Finke #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates his touchdown with Michael Young #87 against the USC Trojans during the first half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 24, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 24: Chris Finke #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates his touchdown with Michael Young #87 against the USC Trojans during the first half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 24, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Notre Dame (12-0) defeated the USC Trojans (5-7) 24-17 in Los Angeles to secure their spot as one of the four teams in the College Football Playoff.

After facing a 0-10 deficit to 18 year-old quarterback JT Daniels and the Southern California Trojans in Los Angeles with a trip to the college football playoff on the line, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish pulled away and punched their ticket to the final four.

In a game that was probably too close for the Irish faithful’s liking, Ian Book and Notre Dame showed they could handle adversity and weathered the early USC storm which saw the Trojans completely dominate the entire first quarter.

After some Ian Book and Chris Finke magic, the Irish only trailed USC 7-10 at the half.

Then the Notre Dame we expected came to life and completely took over the second half, eventually winning the contest 24-17, thanks to a stingy second half defense and the offense finally getting going. The Irish have a chance at redemption after getting blown out by Alabama the last time they were in title contention.

More from Ink on Indy

Looking forward, the Irish will likely keep the third seed while Alabama tops the rankings, followed by Clemson at number two. The fourth-ranked Michigan Wolverines were assaulted by Ohio State on Saturday, completely eliminating their playoff hopes. The question now is who will take over the fourth seed?

Georgia, at number five, will likely lose to Bama in the SEC title game next weekend, so I do not love them at four. Number six Oklahoma has been very unconvincing, with one of the worst defenses in the entire country. Both number seven LSU and number eight Washington State lost… leaving us with an undefeated number nine UCF Knights.

Am I saying they deserve the final playoff spot? I’m not saying they do not deserve it, but I’m not in the CFP committee? But back to Notre Dame.

The Irish will likely take on the #2 Clemson Tigers and their nation-leading rush attack. I have said it before and I will say it again; I hate this match up for Notre Dame. Clemson boasts the best defensive line in football (yes, better than Bama) and they make life hell for opposing teams. Not to mention their nation-leading run game and five star freshman quarterback, Trevor Lawrence.

It is a much, much better match up than Alabama, but I certainly do not like it. To just win that game, both Ian Book and the Irish defense will need to play a perfect game. To go on and beat Bama, who has a 99.999% chance of beating whoever ends up at the fourth seed, it will require TWO perfect games and possibly some divine intervention.

dark. Next. Colts vs Dolphins: A look at the Colts' Week 12 Opponent

But for now, let’s just enjoy the weekend off as the nation’s third seed as the conference championships unfold next weekend.

Home/Notre Dame