Notre Dame has made history, with the ACC making schedule changes due to Covid-19, the Fighting Irish will appear in the ACC Championship Game. This year is Notre Dame’s first season as an ACC member in football. Depending on the outlook of college football next year. Charlotte will hold the ACC Championship game on Dec 19. The winner will most likely stamp their ticket into the College Football Playoff. The fact that Notre Dame will be playing in the ACC Championship Game is not as surprising as the way the news became official. The Fighting Irish had two games left on the schedule against Syracuse and Wake Forest. The latest schedule adjustment has removed the Dec. 12 game against the Demon Deacons from the slate.
Now that Notre Dame is guaranteed an ACC championship appearance, the question is who will Notre Dame face? All roads lead to a rematch of the kings of the ACC in the Clemson Tigers. But this time the road leads to the return of Clemson’s superstar quarterback Trevor Lawerence.
“We recognize Trevor Lawerence is a great football player, and to have him on the field certainly is what you want in the championship game,” Kelly said about a possible rematch. “You know obviously we’re still dealing with other people saying, ‘You know Clemson was undermanned, they didn’t have this player, they didn’t have that player. Our guys listen to that, so we’re gonna have that challenge in front of us that we’ll have to go and play very well against a team that will have all their best players.”
The Tigers (8-1, 7-1) can clinch a spot in the championship game with a victory Saturday at Virginia. No. 9 Miami (7-1, 6-1) could still earn a spot in the ACC championship game if Clemson were to lose. The past game of Notre Dame and Clemson was a classic. With the Tigers at full strength, this match-up should be a classic as well.
With no divisions this year, the ACC decided the championship game teams would be determined by winning percentage and with a certain threshold of games played to participate. Notre Dame, Miami, and Clemson have had at least one game postponed due to COVID-19 protocol. The decision was made based on a recommendation from the league’s football subcommittee, health experts, and voted on by the ACC athletic directors.
