2018 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic CFP Semifinal Preview

Bowl Info:

• Game will be held in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
• Game will start at 4:00 PM ET on 12/29
• Clemson is 22-20 in their bowl games; 3-2 in CFP
• Notre Dame is 18-18 in their bowl games
• Clemson leads the series 2-1

Offensive Players to Watch:

Clemson: The Tigers backfield needs to be on, but more specifically Trevor Lawrence. It has been no secret that Notre Dame’s secondary has been somewhat weak when it comes to good teams. We saw chunks of this against Michigan, Virginia Tech, and USC. Lawrence has been a great freshman help this season throwing at 2,606 yards and 24 touchdowns. We’ll see Clemson try some big plays through the air to balance a series of runs by Etienne. Watch out for this freshman to want to make his mark on the college football world.

Notre Dame: Dexter Williams has trashed opponent’s defensive lines all year with his incredible rushing ability. He shows that if he gets the slightest of a seam that he can turn it into a big play for his team. And also with rushing for 941 yards and 12 touchdowns, Clemson knows what he’s capable of. We will see a true battle between the Clemson Defensive Line and Dexter Williams. Whoever comes out on top will likely tip the scale in the favor of their team.

Defensive Players to Watch:

Clemson: This defense will look to Tanner Muse at FS to help out with the passing threat of Ian Book. We’ve seen all season Book making passes that shouldn’t have happened, but they did. Muse will need to lock down open spaces downfield to stop Book from torching the Clemson defense. Muse stats this season look great at 53 total tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, and 2.0 sacks. I think we see Muse step up in a big way to help Clemson reach it’s third National Championship in the Playoff Era.

Notre Dame: When we’ve seen Clemson go at it with top dogs this year we have see an increase in Travis Etienne. This is why I feel that Jerry Tillery will play a larger role in today’s game than expected. Tillery has 28 total tackles, 8.5 total tackles, and 7.0 sacks making him an inside threat. I feel that Notre Dame will have a heightened sense of defensive line control around Etienne. Watch Out for Tillery to try to disrupt the Clemson line and give the Irish a lead.

The Basics

I like both teams ability to play and score against each other today. I think both teams boast great running backs that can find seams and use them well. However, I think it is obvious that Clemson’s defense is built to last longer against tougher teams. We have seen this against teams like Texas A&M and Syracuse. I think Clemson wins this one with room to spare.

Score Prediction

38-24 Clemson

Photo Credits: THE GREATEST COVER MAKER EVER RILEY PLATT