9. Notre Dame’s mettle will be tested in Death Valley against Clemson
This is the game of the week — bar none.
Notre Dame (No. 6) barely survived its only road contest this year, beating Virginia on a final-seconds heave by DeShone Kizer, who came into the game after the Irish lost Malik Zaire for the season with an ankle injury.
Let’s just say this upcoming contest against Clemson (No. 12) will be slightly more intimidating.
The environment at Memorial Stadium is always lights-out amazing. Things are going to be cranked up another notch, however, on Saturday night in a prime-time matchup against the unbeaten Irish. Clemson is also undefeated, and the eyes of the nation will be watching.
As intimidating as it might be, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly is confident in his players.
“I think our team was well prepared for Florida State,” Kelly said, via ndinsider.com. “Most of these kids played in that game, so we’ll have a lot of carryover.”
Clemson is a formidable opponent in any environment. Quarterback Deshaun Watson is coming into his own for the Tigers, and the team’s defense is the No. 4 unit in the land. At home, in front of over 80,000 screaming fans, they’re incredibly tough to defeat.
This game will be featured in prime time starting at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.