ACC Football

When the College Football Playoff finalists were announced, no selection was more controversial than No. 4 Notre Dame, which got in ahead of teams like one-loss Texas A&M and undefeated Cincinnati despite being blown out in the ACC title game vs. Clemson, 34-10.

Add in the fact that since the BCS era began in 1998, Notre Dame is 0-6 in New Year's Six bowl games or BCS/CFP contests, and plenty of people didn't believe Notre Dame was a worthy CFP selection this year.

But head coach Brian Kelly isn't worried about the program's detractors.

"Only one team gets to celebrate at the end of the year," he told reporters. "We're going to keep banging, and we're going to keep getting back here, and that's our job. That's our challenge each and every year is to compete for a national championship, and we'll continue to do that."

Kelly also noted that the team has consistently been among the top teams in the country in recent years:

"We're knocking at the door every year, playing really good teams and great opponents and they're elite football teams. I don't know why this narrative continues to pop up when we're always in the game. No, we haven't won a national championship. That's correct. And, you know, I'm not changing the record. But we are there every single year and we are grinding it out just like everybody else."

Notre Dame will go into its New Year's Day matchup with Alabama as 20-point underdogs, a shocking number for a game between the Nos. 1 and 4 teams in the nation. In its last CFP appearance at the 2018 Cotton Bowl, Notre Dame was worked by Clemson, losing 30-3. 

And as ESPN's Dave Wilson noted, Notre Dame finished No. 4 "despite suffering the biggest loss by an eventual playoff team in the playoff era (24 points in a 34-10 loss to Clemson in the ACC title game)."

Add it all up and, yes, Notre Dame has its fair share of doubters. All that's left to do for the Fighting Irish is to prove them wrong.

No. 2 Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney gave the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes plenty of bulletin board material ahead of their College Football Playoff semifinal when he ranked OSU at No. 11 on his coaches poll ballot.

Now Swinney is wondering what the big deal is.

Speaking to ESPN's Tom Rinaldi in a Saturday interview, Swinney said the ranking wasn't personal but that he wanted to reward teams for playing nine or more games (h/t 247Sports' Garrett Stepien):

"Obviously, they're a great team. They're plenty good enough and talented enough to beat us and good enough to win the national championship. But in my opinion, I don't think that it's right that three teams have to play 13 games to win it all and one team has to play eight. What universe am I living in? And it has nothing to with them. It was about qualifying. And I didn't think they were qualified, based on the number of games, versus all these other teams. ... In my opinion—Texas A&M, Florida, Oklahoma, Cincinnati—they got punished for playing more games."

The coach can keep defending himself as much as he wants, but unless Clemson blows Ohio State out on New Year's Day, justifying his ballot is always going to pit him against Buckeyes fans. Both sides will have an answer to whether Ohio State's CFP ranking was warranted soon enough.

Miami Hurricanes quarterback D'Eriq King is running things back in 2021.

On Saturday, King took to Twitter to announce he will return to the Hurricanes next season after helping lead them to a 8-2 record in 2020:

King transferred to the ACC program from Houston prior to the 2020 campaign.

This may be somewhat of a surprising decision to some considering the quarterback was so successful in his first season at a Power Five school.

He completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 2,573 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions while adding 520 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. The dual-threat playmaker answered questions about whether he could put up head-turning numbers against top-notch competition after starting his career with Houston.

However, King was not included in the first round in the latest mock draft from Bleacher Report's Matt Miller and didn't exactly impress in Miami's most high-profile matchup. The Hurricanes lost 42-17 against Clemson while he threw for just 121 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions.

Returning in 2021 will give him the opportunity to play better in marquee games and perhaps lead Miami back into the upper echelon of college football.

The program has won double-digit games just once since the 2003 season and has fallen behind Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and others on the national stage.

King's return gives the Canes a talented quarterback who can help change that.

Despite speculation that he was the subject of interest from Auburn for its head-coaching vacancy, Brent Venables will remain at Clemson.  

Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports reported that Venables informed Clemson officials that he will stay on as defensive coordinator next season. 

John Talty and Matt Zenitz of AL.com previously reported Venables spoke with Auburn on Monday, but the "expectation" was the 50-year-old would stay at Clemson. 

"Venables has two sons, Tyler and Jake, currently playing at Clemson and makes $2.4 million annually as Dabo Swinney’s defensive coordinator," Talty and Zenitz wrote.

Per USA Today, Venables' $2.4 million salary this season ranked third among all assistant coaches in the country. Only Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian and Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele made more at $2.5 million each. 

Venables has been defensive coordinator for Dabo Swinney since 2012. He added the title of assistant head coach to his resume in 2018. The Tigers haven't finished worse than 11th in scoring defense since 2015. 

Auburn is searching for a new head coach after firing Gus Malzahn on Dec. 13. The move came after the team went 6-4 in 2020, its seventh straight season with at least four losses. Steele will coach the Tigers in the Citrus Bowl against Northwestern on Jan. 1. 

No. 2 Clemson will face No. 3 Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinals, although head coach Dabo Swinney doesn't think the Buckeyes are even a top-10 team. 

In the final Amway Coaches Poll, Swinney put Ohio State at No. 11 in his ballot:

The argument for the ranking stems from the Buckeyes' limited schedule because of the COVID-19 pandemic, sitting at 6-0 after winning the Big Ten title game. Swinney claimed his players had a tougher run on the way to a 10-1 record, via ESPN's Mark Schlabach:

"I think the games matter. The mental and physical toll of a season — there's nobody out there that would say that somebody who's played 11 games versus somebody who's played six is better physically or something like that because it's a long season. We're going on Week 21. These guys have had no break. It's been a grind, not just football-wise, but the mental challenge and the personal sacrifice and commitment that everybody's had to make to be able to play and continue to play. It's been incredible."

Though Swinney had Ohio State lower than anyone else, seven other coaches kept Ohio State out of the top four in the final poll, per Schlabach. Alabama coach Nick Saban rated the Buckeyes fifth overall.

Ohio native LeBron James was one of many questioning the low ranking:

Ohio State will get a chance to prove its inclusion in the College Football Playoff on the field at the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.

No. 2 Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly was forced to defend his team's resume Saturday after the No. 3 Clemson Tigers thrashed the Fighting Irish 34-10 in the ACC Championship Game.

"We've got two Top 15 wins," Kelly told reporters. "We've got a win over this Clemson team that was No. 1 in the country. I don't know that anybody has a resume that has those two wins, and we've played 11 games. That matters, playing 11 games. Testing your team week in and week out, I think in my mind puts us as without question as one of the top four teams in the country."

Notre Dame defeated then-No. 1 Clemson 47-40 in double overtime at Notre Dame Stadium in November as the Tigers played without star quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

It was a much more defensive tone than Kelly struck earlier this week when he raised the notion of Notre Dame opting out of the postseason if players were unable to have their families in the stands for a likely Rose Bowl game.

"I'm not sure we'll play in the playoffs if parents can't be there, to be honest with you," Kelly said. "Why would we play if you can't have the families at the game?"

After Saturday's performance, making the College Football Playoff at all is certainly in question.

The Irish crumbled after taking a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter, giving up 34 consecutive points to Clemson before a garbage-time touchdown from Chris Tyree put Notre Dame in the end zone for the first time all game.

Even with just one loss, the Irish could find themselves tumbling out of the playoff's top four.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney told reporters he believes Notre Dame should be in despite the outcome Saturday, noting the selection committee shouldn't lean toward rewarding teams who played fewer games this year.

As far as Kelly is concerned, his team has done more than enough to earn a playoff berth. Now he just has to convince the committee of the same.

"I think you look at the body of work in terms of what we've done all year," Kelly said. "We obviously lost to the No. 3-ranked team in the country tonight. Wasn't our best effort, but consistency—when you play 11 games and you have a win over the No. 1 team in the country and then you win against an outstanding North Carolina team, I don't know that you need to look any further than that."

College football's politicking season is underway, with Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney making the case for Trevor Lawrence to win the 2020 Heisman Trophy.

Speaking after the Tigers' 34-10 win over Notre Dame in the ACC Championship Game, Swinney told reporters it "would be a crying shame" if his star quarterback didn't win the sport's most prestigious award.

"If you watch college football and you don't know that this is the best player in the country, I don't know what you are looking at," Swinney added.

Per FanDuel SportsBook, Alabama teammates Mac Jones (-160, bet $160 to win $100) and Devonta Smith (+200) are the current betting favorites to win the Heisman. Lawrence checks in fourth at +2500, well behind Florida quarterback Kyle Trask (+800).

Swinney has picked an opportune time to vouch for Lawrence. The presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft had 412 total yards and three touchdowns to help the Tigers avenge their loss to the Fighting Irish on Nov. 7.

Lawrence was unable to play in that first meeting after testing positive for COVID-19. He had to sit out two games as a result of that diagnosis before returning on Nov. 28 against Pittsburgh.

Despite missing those games, Lawrence finished the regular season with 2,431 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, three interceptions and a 69.2 completion percentage. No Clemson player has ever won the Heisman Trophy.

The finalists for the 2020 Heisman Trophy will be announced Dec. 24.

Must be 21+ and present in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, West Virginia, Colorado, or Tennessee. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. See sportsbook.fanduel.com for details.

Notre Dame may have come away with the win the first time it played Clemson this season, but with the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft and multiple others back on the field after missing the first meeting because of COVID-19 protocols or injuries, the Tigers claimed the ACC Championship for the sixth year in a row with a 34-10 victory at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday.

Trevor Lawrence led the way for Clemson, which finishes the season at 10-1, with 322 yards on 25-of-36 passing and 90 rushing yards, with a rushing score and two touchdown passes.

Ian Book didn't have as much luck for 10-1 Notre Dame, appearing in its first conference championship in school history. Book was sacked six times, completing 20 of 28 passes without a touchdown.

Notre Dame's lone touchdown came on a 21-yard rush from running back Chris Tyree.

Notable Performers

• Trevor Lawrence, QB, Tigers: 322 yards (25-of-36), 90 rushing yards (14 carries), rushing TD, 2 TD, INT
• Amari Rodgers, WR, Tigers: 121 yards, eight receptions, TD
• Travis Etienne, RB, Tigers: 124 yards, 10 carries, TD
• Ian Book, QB, Fighting Irish: 219 yards (20-of-28), 6 sacks (-34 yards)

The Impact of James Skalski

Lawrence wasn't the only player who missed the regular-season matchup against Notre Dame, and part of Clemson's success was due to the return of linebacker James Skalski.

The 6'0", 240-pound graduate student, who became the first player ever to appear in five ACC Championship Games, missed three games over a five-week span this season while dealing with a groin injury. At the time, head coach Dabo Swinney admitted that the absence of Skalski, who he referred to as the "heart and soul" of the Clemson defense, was "a pretty big loss."

He returned Nov. 28 against Pittsburgh and made six tackles, but he exited the next week's game against Virginia Tech after one series. He showed no signs of injury in the ACC Championship while helping Clemson keep Notre Dame at bay.

For the game, he recorded five tackles with a sack and a hurry on Book.

Notre Dame Couldn't Convert

Entering Saturday, the Fighting Irish were the seventh-ranked team in the country when it came to third-down conversions, with a 51.4 conversion percentage. Against the Tigers, they started strong, converting on both of their first two attempts. They didn't convert another third down throughout the first half.

By the end of the game, the Irish had gone just 3-of-12 on third-down conversions. And it cost them.

Notre Dame kicker Jonathan Doerer nailed an ACC Championship-record 51-yard field goal to put Notre Dame up 3-0 early, but it could have been a much easier moment if Book hadn't been sacked on third down on the previous play.

Before the game got out of hand, Notre Dame's 3-0 lead could have doubled at the end of the first quarter if Doerer had hit a 24-yard field goal on 4th-and-goal, but he missed. Had Book completed the touchdown pass on the previous play, the Irish could have held a 10-0 lead heading into the second quarter.

On their opening drive of the second quarter, a Kyren Williams run on 3rd-and-6 only went for three yards, so the Irish were faced with a 4th-and-3 at the Clemson 28. Book missed the pass for a turnover on downs, and Clemson took over to start a drive that would end in a touchdown.

The Irish punted their next two possessions after failing to convert.

What's Next?

Both teams await their postseason fate, which will be decided by the College Football Playoff selection committee Sunday. In the most recent rankings, Notre Dame edged Clemson for the No. 2 spot, with Alabama at No. 1 and Ohio State at No. 4.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly is taking a stand, saying he wants the families of players to be able to attend the College Football Playoff if the Irish make it. 

"I'm not sure we'd play in the playoff if families can't be there," Kelly told reporters Friday.

The Rose Bowl, one of the sites of the two CFP semifinal matchups, has already announced it will not allow fan attendance. It's unclear if the Sugar Bowl, the other site, will allow fans. The New Orleans Saints play at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome where the Sugar Bowl is held and have been able to have a minimal amount of fans in their stadium. 

Families in attendance or not, it's hard to imagine Kelly or Notre Dame players would willingly sit out a chance at a national championship over the matter of family attendance.

"It makes no sense to me to put a bunch of kids on a plane and fly them all the way to California to play in an empty stadium. That makes zero sense," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney told reporters Friday.

The committee is considering moving the Rose Bowl from Pasadena for the first time since 1915 in part because families would not be able to attend. Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, a member of the committee, told Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports that the issue is "unresolved" earlier this week. 

"I think it's hard to say to parents of student-athletes that they can't go watch their sons play in the biggest game of their career," Bowlsby said. "That's hard. There's all the quarantine issues and all the travel issues. It's unresolved. The [CFP] Management Committee is going to have to deal with it."

AT&T Stadium in Texas is considered the likely host of the Rose Bowl if the game is moved. 

Trevor Lawrence isn't concerned about the difficulties that could await him in the NFL.

Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday, Lawrence said he's "ready to take on whatever challenge" awaits him:

Lawrence has yet to declare for the draft, but the consensus is the Clemson star would be the No. 1 pick if he does.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranked Lawrence as the top quarterback in the class, comparing him to former Indianapolis Colts star Andrew Luck:

"Lawrence is an elite quarterback prospect who oftentimes reminds me of the best of guys like Joe Burrow (toughness, accuracy), Justin Herbert (mobility, arm strength) and Tua Tagovailoa (processing speed, field vision). But unlike last year's quarterback class, we're not worried about a lack of starting time (Burrow), injuries (Tua) or traits versus production (Herbert). Lawrence executes on all his traits and has done so since his true freshman year."

If the season ended today, the 0-13 New York Jets would have the No. 1 pick. They are three losses away from joining the 2008 Detroit Lions and 2017 Cleveland Browns as the only teams to go winless in a 16-game season.

New York's quarterback play hasn't been good for many years. Brett Favre was the last Jets quarterback to make the Pro Bowl, in 2008. The organization hasn't drafted a quarterback who made the Pro Bowl since Ken O'Brien, who was picked in the first round in 1983 and earned the honor in 1985 and 1991.

Lawrence will lead Clemson into the ACC Championship Game on Saturday against Notre Dame. The Tigers, who stand No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings, will likely secure a spot in the playoff with a victory.