Clemson's revenge victory over Notre Dame in the ACC championship will inevitably shake up the College Football Playoff.
No. 3 Clemson blew past No. 2 Notre Dame, 34–10, winning its sixth consecutive ACC championship and possibly shaking up the College Football Playoff.
The first quarter was a quiet one, with only 10 combined points scored. Notre Dame took a small lead early with an opening field goal, however, Clemson's Trevor Lawrence threw a 67-yard touchdown to Amari Rodgers in the final minute of the quarter.
The Fighting Irish were never able to catch up as the Tigers got revenge for a November loss in South Bend that came without Lawrence.
The Tigers went on a 17–0 run in the second quarter, and pushed their lead to 31–3 with a single touchdown in the third quarter. The play that stood out in the third quarter practically mirrored Odell Beckham Jr.'s famous catch, as E.J. Williams caught the ball with one hand with a player attempting to block him.
While Clemson got an early field goal in the fourth, a targeting call with nine minutes to go slowed the Tigers' roll. Nolan Turner will miss the first half of the semifinals. Notre Dame quickly answered with a touchdown, closing the gap to 34–10.
Lawrence, who is up for the Heisman, exited the game with just five minutes to go and the win safely in hand. He tallied 412 yards of total offense against Notre Dame, just nine yards shy of Deshaun Watson's 420-yard record and the second-most in ACC championship history, according to The Athletic's Grace Raynor.
Clemson's Travis Etienne rushed for 124 yards, the most Notre Dame has allowed in a game this season. He is just the second FBS player over the last 15 seasons to run for 100 yards in three conference championship games.
The Tigers' overwhelming victory will undoubtedly bring change to the College Football Playoff rankings, with Selection Day slated for Sunday, Dec. 20 at noon on ESPN.
It creates a likely Notre Dame (10–1) vs. Texas A&M (8–1) scenario for the fourth spot to join Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State. The Aggies, who were No. 5 in Tuesday's playoff rankings, made their final College Football Playoff case earlier in the day with a 34–13 win over Tennessee, ending the season with seven straight SEC victories.
"Some schools haven't even played seven games," head coach Jimbo Fisher said earlier Saturday, in an apparent jab at the 6–0 Buckeyes. "If you want to pick the best four teams, we’re one of ‘em."
Now, if No. 7 Florida upsets No. 1 Alabama in the SEC championship on Saturday night, the top four is anyone's guess.