The Clemson Tigers take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Check out our college football odds series for our Clemson Notre Dame prediction and pick.

Clemson is unbeaten, but the Tigers aren't nearly as dominant as their best teams were under quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence. To be clear, Clemson has had a great season. Dabo Swinney should be thrilled with his team's toughness and resilience. Clemson trailed Wake Forest by seven points in the fourth quarter and found a way to win. Clemson trailed Syracuse by 11 at the start of the fourth quarter and found a way to win. Clemson has faced adversity and responded beautifully. This is the championship identity Dabo has cultivated in the Palmetto State. This is the program he built. People wondered if the Tigers would respond this year after their very rough, very difficult 2021 season. A perfect record through October shows that Dabo still has the magic touch. Last year was an aberration.

However, as noted above: This is not a true juggernaut team. Clemson is still deficient at quarterback, as shown by D.J. Uiagalelei's struggles against Syracuse, which caused him to be benched in favor of backup Cade Klubnik. Clemson was able to win that game versus Syracuse with its running game and its defense. There are real questions about Uiagalelei heading into this night game in South Bend. It's a test of this team's composure, and we'll see if the Tigers can surmount one more obstacle.

Notre Dame looked a lot better last week against Syracuse than it had in previous weeks. The defense was excellent and the offensive line was authoritative. The quarterback spot, however, is still a liability with Drew Pyne being noticeably inconsistent and unreliable. Notre Dame's offense has been a mess this season. The Irish need their running game and their defense to carry them, but there will probably come a time in this game when they will need at least something from their passing attack. They can't be completely one-dimensional if they want to take down a top-five opponent. First-year head coach Marcus Freeman has lacked a signature victory this season after taking over from previous head coach Brian Kelly. He and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees have struggled to solve the limitations of their team's passing game. If ever there was a time for big answers and season-changing solutions, this is it. Clemson is calling.

Here are the Clemson-Notre Dame NCAA Football Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Clemson-Notre Dame Odds

Clemson Tigers: -3.5 (-110)

Notre Dame Fighting Irish: +3.5 (-110)

Over: 43.5 (-110)

Under: 43.5 (-110)

Why Clemson Could Cover the Spread

The Tigers might have a frail quarterback situation, but Notre Dame's is clearly worse. For all the questions which legitimately surround D.J. Uiagalelei in this game, more questions surround Drew Pyne of Notre Dame. Keep in mind that Notre Dame couldn't score more than 14 points at home against Stanford. The Irish offense fizzled at home against Marshall and California. Clemson's defense can feast in this matchup and completely dominate Notre Dame's offense.

Why Notre Dame Could Cover the Spread

The Irish aren't an elite team, but they played like a very good team against Syracuse. If they play like that in this game — keeping in mind that Syracuse outplayed Clemson for three quarters earlier this season — the Irish have to like their chances, playing in front of a revved-up night game crowd in South Bend.

Final Clemson-Notre Dame Prediction & Pick

Clemson's defense should completely dominate this game. As long as the Clemson offense doesn't turn the ball over, the Tigers should be able to win a low-scoring game.

Final Clemson-Notre Dame Prediction & Pick: Clemson -3.5, under 43.5