Notre Dame Football: Way-too-early game-by-game predictions for 2020

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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 29: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Clemson Tigers passes in the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

The much-anticipated rematch of the 2018 Cotton Bowl playoff game will likely be a top-10 matchup as the Irish, in my estimation, will be 8-0 while the Tigers should also be unbeaten. This will have the feel of a playoff elimination game and if the Irish want to make a statement as a “better than just good” team nationally, they need to beat Clemson.

Moreover, this game will take place in South Bend, so the Irish have the upper-hand there.

However, we’re going to see Trevor Lawrence play one heck of a game during a Heisman Trophy season and the Irish will fall just short.

Final Score: Clemson 27, Notre Dame 20 (8-1)

Another true road game awaits the Irish in mid-November following a tough loss to Clemson at home. The Yellow Jackets are in the midst of rebuilding their program under Geoff Collins and they’ll likely miss a bowl game yet again in 2020, but they should be much better than they were in 2019.

That still won’t be enough to hold off Notre Dame even in a raucous environment with Yellow Jacket fans bringing the excitement back to home games.

Final Score: Notre Dame 31, Georgia Tech 20 (9-1)

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