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ACC Football Power Rankings, Week 8: Clemson leaves no doubt as No. 1

By Dante Pryor

Oct 10, 2020; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; at Memorial Stadium. Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) and other quarterbacks walk onto the field for warmups before a game against the Miami Hurricanes at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 10, 2020; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; at Memorial Stadium. Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) and other quarterbacks walk onto the field for warmups before a game against the Miami Hurricanes at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Notre Dame football
Ian Book, Notre Dame football Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-0, 3-0)

When the Notre Dame Fighting Irish joined the ACC for one season only, only one question the Irish needed to answer: “Could the Irish defeat Clemson and win the ACC?”

There were many questions Notre Dame needed to answer, however. Did the Irish address their issue with speed? How would Ian Book acclimate himself to new, young skill players? How would the new-look secondary play?

Despite playing well early int he season, the level of competition made it difficult to gauge whether or not the Irish adequately answered those questions. Then Notre Dame played Louisville. The Cardinals defense have shown improvement, but this was Notre Dame’s chance to really put up some points. The final score 12-7. Across the aisle, Clemson dominates Georgia Tech  — the same Georgia Tech that put 46 on Louisville — 73-7.

The running game has been very good with first-year starter Kyren Williams and the offensive line has been rock solid. There are some very concerning things about Notre Dame so far, however. Ian Book has not thrown to his wide receivers with regularity. Book has thrown just three touchdowns this season.

Defensively, the Irish pass rush has been as advertised. However, the run defense has shown holes and teams with mediocre offenses have moved the ball on Notre Dame’s defense. To answer the initial question; Notre Dame does not look like a team who can defeat Clemson.

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