Notre Dame Football: 5 bold predictions for Cotton Bowl vs Clemson

3. Who will play better: Ian Book or Trevor Lawrence?

The two quarterbacks in this one are talented to say the least. Let’s break down each of them before we try to decide who will be the better quarterback in this one.

Junior quarterback Ian Book took over the starting duties in Week 4 at Wake Forest for Notre Dame. Since then, he has been everything that this team needed and that much more. He finished the regular season throwing 197-of-280 completions for 19 passing touchdowns, while rushing 78 times for 250 yards and four more touchdowns. He ranks sixth nationally with a 70.4 completion percentage and eighth in pass efficiency at the end of the regular season.

Kelly Bryant started the season for Clemson, but then decided to transfer to Missouri. Enter true freshman Trevor Lawerence who had taken a few snaps here and there throughout the season and against Texas A&M was named the “co-starter” before winning the job outright.

Overall this year, he has been pretty accurate both with his arm and, at times, with his legs. He has finished 212-of-306 passing, obviously not as efficient as Ian Book, but good enough none the less. He only has one rushing touchdown and just under 150 yards, but he has a running back who has been one of the best in the league in Travis Etienne.

Which quarterback will be the winner here? Well, for it to be Ian Book it will have to be a pristine game in terms of passing. But, if anyone could do it, it would be Book. However, Lawrence has been pretty accurate in his own way and has the running game to boot.

My money is on Clemson and Trevor Lawrence, but Notre Dame and Ian Book won’t go away quietly.