Football fans are in for a wild ACC Championship this weekend.
Saturday will be Notre Dame’s second bout against Clemson this season. The Fighting Irish won the first matchup 47-40 in a double-overtime thriller.
DOWN GOES NO.1!
Notre Dame upset No.1 Clemson in double overtime 😱 pic.twitter.com/1UqRaUIbRL
— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) November 8, 2020
Between Notre Dame and IU’s success this year, Hoosiers have had tons of opportunities for some in-state football fun.
Stakes are high for the ACC Championship
This year’s ACC Championship matchup is a one of a kind.
That’s because Notre Dame isn’t actually an ACC team. The Fighting Irish are on loan to the conference thanks to the weird football season that COVID-19 created.
So in other words, this is a once-in-a-lifetime matchup for ACC fans. After this season, Notre Dame will go back to its regular non-conference status.
Notre Dame-Clemson is certainly a step up from the ACC Championship matchups that fans are used to.
Clemson has won the last five ACC Championships by an average of 25.4 points. Last year’s game was a 62-17 beatdown against Virginia.
However, there’s a lot more at stake in this year’s game than there usually is.
Notre Dame and Clemson both have College Football Playoff aspirations. This week’s game could have a big impact on their postseason chances.
Both teams also feature a Heisman hopeful at quarterback. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Notre Dame’s Ian Book are both in the running to take home the trophy this year.
There’s a lot riding on this game for both teams since it’s such a marquee matchup. That should make for an ACC Championship to remember.
COVID-19 is taking other big games off the board, so fans and gamblers alike can at least enjoy one of the better matchups.
2020 ACC Championship betting odds
Big-time college football matchups generate a ton of betting interest, and that’s certainly the case with this year’s ACC Championship.
At least for now, Clemson is the big favorite for the game. Here’s a quick look at the live odds for the matchup:
[odds-feed game=11719 sportsbooks=DraftKings,MGMBorgata,PointsBet,UnibetNJ styling=small odds=moneyline]
The Tigers are expected to win, but that was also the case last time around when Notre Dame ended up on top.
The Fighting Irish will need a great performance to pull off another upset. That’s not out of the question with Ian Book running the show.
The quarterback isn’t the favorite to win the Heisman right now, but he’s certainly in the hunt. Alabama quarterback Mac Jones is the current favorite according to DraftKings.
- Mac Jones: -200
- DeVonta Smith:+200
- Kyle Trask:+350
- Ian Book:+900
- Trevor Lawrence:+900
- Justin Fields:+5,000
Book and Lawrence could both increase their Heisman betting odds with a solid performance in the ACC Championship.
However, fans should be in for a show this weekend regardless of how the Heisman race turns out.
With an Indiana football staple like Notre Dame in the ACC Championship, this year’s game will be one worth remembering.