College Football 2020: 5 games with major playoff implications in Week 10

1. No. 1 Clemson at No. 4 Notre Dame

The biggest game of the weekend has wide-ranging implications in terms of the playoff race.

To start, Clemson is playing a bit shorthanded, as star quarterback Trevor Lawrence and some key defensive players will be out on Saturday and that is leaving the door open for Notre Dame and putting a whole bunch of pressure on them at the same time.

Notre Dame has failed in almost every big game they have played in in the past several years and that has made them a punching bag nationally. For a program that has won as many games over the past few seasons as it has, Notre Dame feels it’s not getting the respect it deserves.

With Lawrence out, Notre Dame must take advantage of the opportunity and win this game. If the Irish can win, they should be able to make a case for the playoff, even if they lose to Clemson in the ACC title game. If the Fighting Irish lose, it will be tough to think they could beat Clemson when Lawrence returns in the ACC title and a two-loss Notre Dame will almost certainly not make the playoff.

Clemson would love to win this game, but they know that Lawrence will be back for the stretch run of the season and this is a deep and talented team that they can still win this game.

The pressure is on for Notre Dame to win this game and take that next step in being considered one of the elite programs in the country.