Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Clemson Tigers: Cotton Bowl Betting Odds and Pick

• Can Irish contain potent Clemson attack?
• Tigers’ star-studded defensive front could break out
• Notre Dame’s D the best Clemson has faced all year

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And then there were four.

The quest for college football supremacy resumes in less than a week, with a pair of semi-final match-ups, including No. 2 ranked Clemson (13-0) and No. 3 ranked Notre Dame (12-0) meeting in the Cotton Bowl, with a trip to the National Championship game on the line.

This is the Tigers’ fourth straight trip to the playoff, while Notre Dame, just two years removed from a 4-8 campaign, will be making their first appearance in the playoff.

Find the early odds, statistical comparison, and best bet below.

2018 Cotton Bowl Odds

Team	Spread*	Moneyline*	Over/Under*
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (#3)	+12.5 (-110)	+370	O 55.0 (-110)
Clemson Tigers (#2)	-12.5 (-110)	-440	U 55.0 (-110)

*Odds from BetOnline.

Date: 4:00 PM ET, Dec. 29

Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX

Hard to imagine that a team that’s gone undefeated in the regular season and finished the year ranked third in the nation can be a massive underdog like the Irish are in this one. But that’s less a slight and more a credit to the demolition that Clemson has put on in this year on both sides of the ball.

On defense, Clemson’s front four of Clelin Ferrell, Austin Bryant, Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins are as good as it gets, and all four are projected to be high draft picks in the upcoming NFL draft.

“The Road To Santa Clara” Tweet Of The Day: Only three teams have scored more than two touchdowns against the Tigers, and Clemson's defense has allowed just 19 touchdowns, eight rushing and 11 passing. pic.twitter.com/zqkaUJ3zl2

— Scott Rhymer (@TigerPreGame) December 20, 2018

On offense, they are powered by running back Travis Etienne, who had himself a year.

Travis Etienne was a touchdown and first-down machine this year pic.twitter.com/rG5W6ydSJA

— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 12, 2018

But don’t expect Notre Dame to fold too easily, as they present some great match-up elements that should test Clemson. Defensively, the 21st-ranked Irish will be the best ranked defense the Tigers will have seen all year (previous high was 36th).

75 yards to the house on the first play of the game for Travis Etienne! #Clemson pic.twitter.com/7rBgRv3hUN

— #NobodyDied (@ftbeard_17) December 2, 2018

Bryan Kelly’s squad isn’t as marquee as Clemson’s unit, but they did rank equally effective in both the run (33rd) and the pass (36). While it’s hard to stop a team that averages better than 45 points a game, they have held every team but one to under 23 points this season.

I really liked this empty check from Notre Dame on Saturday. Within a fraction of a second, the defense can bring 7 and play zero, drop to an inverted man under two deep, or have the inside linebackers rob the underneath slant windows, or anything in between. pic.twitter.com/ub2TW3fXu5

— Bobby Peters (@b_peters12) September 4, 2018

And there’s no question that Notre Dame will look to their own star running back, Dexter Williams, to break through that front and into some daylight. In just eight games, Williams racked up 941 yards on a healthy 6.6 yards per tote.

“They are a run first offense. They are built to run the ball.” – Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney on Notre Dame’s offense pic.twitter.com/0sB3RFM1Rt

— Irish Sports Daily (@ISDUpdate) December 15, 2018

If Notre Dame’s line can hold up, Williams can do some things. In fact, a balanced attack led by QB Ian Book will likely be the difference in this one being close, or a blowout like some are predicting.

Dexter Williams 58 yard TD run! #NotreDame pic.twitter.com/soDF0Pb8Tn

— #NobodyDied (@ftbeard_17) November 11, 2018

Notre Dame vs Clemson Statistical Comparison

Notre Dame Fighting Irish	Statistic	Clemson Tigers
12-0 (6-4-2 ATS)	Record	13-0 (7-6 ATS)
33.8	PPG	45.4
17.3	Points Allowed Per Game	13.7
456.1	Total Offense	529.8
331.5	Total Defense	276.7
48.9% (5th)	F/+ Combined Rating	51.7% (3rd)
20.6 (6th)	S&P+ Rating	27.9 (2nd)
25th	Strength of Schedule	14th

Best Bet

These are two of the top six in S&P+ Rating in all of college football.

Clemson has more talent on its roster from top to bottom, and having played on the big stage consistently over the past few seasons, they should be favored.

But that’s a hefty amount of points they are giving Notre Dame. The Irish might not be great at any one thing, but the are very solid at everything. If they can establish the run and keep their defense fresh, this should be a close one.

Clemson will probably win, but I’d be pretty stunned if they covered.

The post Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Clemson Tigers: Cotton Bowl Betting Odds and Pick appeared first on My Top Sportsbooks.

Original source: https://www.mytopsportsbooks.com/free-picks/ncaa-college/notre-dame-fighting-irish-clemson-tigers-cotton-bowl-betting-odds-pick/

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