This line has inflated with the absence of Will Shipley being confirmed, but Notre Dame remains the right side. Its defense is going to hold an anemic Clemson offense down, while the Fighting Irish have enough firepower to take advantage of a Tigers defense that has only held bad teams down. Clemson may well win its final three games, but Notre Dame has the edge in most areas Saturday afternoon.

This has evolved into a near-disaster by Clemson's recent standards, as the Tigers need at least two more wins just to ensure a bowl bid. But they let late leads slip away against Florida State and Miami or else this could have been a different season. Even without injured star RB Will Shipley, Clemson should put up a fierce effort to avoid a third consecutive loss Saturday.

Facing the No. 9 scoring defense in FBS, Clemson could use all hands on deck. No such luck. Top rusher Will Shipley (concussion protocol) will not suit up. The Tigers are losing games -- four already this year -- and their coach, Dabo Swinney, is losing his cool. The Irish's lone defeats are to far better teams (Ohio State, Louisville), and they have have blasted their last two foes by a combined 79 points. Clemson must dramatically up its scoring -- 18 points per game the last three -- to have any hope. Without Shipley, it's a tree-tall task.

From a points perspective I love the timing of this game on the schedule for both teams. Everything matters for Notre Dame here and that means points...many of them. From here on out expect the Irish offense to keep their foot on the gas for 60 minutes each week. As for Clemson, Dabo is starting to lash out off the field and that tells me we've crossed the line of conventional conservatism offensively. There's no reason for anything but aggressive play-calling and that will either lead to points or short fields for the opposition.

How far will Clemson plummet in the team ratings as they’ve lost two straight and sit just 4-4? Will they make a bowl game? Sounds crazy but the last two weeks have been eye-openers to how far Clemson has fallen now to 2-6 ATS. Their four wins on the season might be the weakest four wins in the nation: Wake Forest barely, at Syracuse, FAU, and Charleston Southern. This is Clemson’s big chance to show they still have something, but I think they are what they are with no sugar coating needed. The Irish have been a reliable team I’ve counted on all season at 7-2 SU and ATS. I bet the better team with a short price, Notre Dame to cover.