Notre Dame hasn’t been the most stylish team in college football this season, but they are headed to the College Football Playoff with a 12-0 record.
The undefeated Fighting Irish are the first team to clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Ian Book didn’t begin the season as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback, but Brian Kelly has to be very pleased with his decision to give the junior the job. All Book’s managed to do is put his team in position to make history at the school.
The junior signal-caller led his team to a 24-17 victory at USC to finish the regular season at 12-0. Book wasn’t just a caretaker against the Trojans. He threw for 352 yards and two touchdowns to help the Irish overcome an early 10-0 deficit.
Nothing will be official until the College Football Playoff field is formally announced next Sunday following the conference championship games, but Notre Dame’s presence in the final four is all but assured. The Irish entered the week as the third-ranked team. A road win over a mediocre USC team will be enough to keep them comfortably in the top four when the matchups are revealed.
Now Kelly and his coaching staff can start to turn their attention on potential opponents in the semifinal matchup. The odds favor a matchup with Dabo Swinney and Clemson. The Tigers and Fighting Irish share several common opponents due to Notre Dame’s ACC heavy schedule, but the two haven’t faced each other.
While Book has emerged as the unquestioned leader of the Notre Dame offense, it’s Kelly’s defense that has powered the Irish to these heights. In particular, the Irish’s physical front seven has caused real problems for opponents. Their ability to limit the Trojans to just 94 yards rushing on 24 carries is a perfect example of the havoc they can cause.
Even so, the Irish will likely take on Clemson as underdogs. That doesn’t mean Notre Dame can’t run the table to win another national title, but it does mean the odds will be against their team heading into the four-team playoff.