The luck of the Irish
The GIST: The Pac-12 returned to action, there’s a new No. 1 in the top 25 rankings and the Irish went 2-0 against the “Orange.” We’re here for all of this weekend’s shake-ups.
Tell me more about the Irish: With a 47–40 double-overtime victory over the former No. 1 Clemson Tigers on Saturday, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish earned their first win against a top-ranked team since 1993 and snapped Clemson’s 36-game (!!!) regular season win streak. The Irish sure found their pot of gold.
- Sadly distracting from their thrilling win, thousands of Notre Dame fans followed their school president’s example
in social distancingstormed the field after the win, obviously breaking COVID-19 protocols. Sigh. Celebrate at a distance, Irish fans!
Yikes! And what happened to Clemson?: The Tigers were without their starting QB and college football’s biggest star, Trevor Lawrence, who tested positive for COVID-19 last month. Freshman QB D.J. Uiagalelei (pronounced OOH-EE-AHN-GUH-LAY-LAY) performed well in Lawrence’s place, throwing for a whopping 439 yards and two TDs...but it just wasn’t enough.
- There’s no definitive word on when Lawrence will return to the field, but the Tigers are off until November 21st, giving them some time to sort things out.
Who’s the new No. 1?: Thanks to Notre Dame (the new No. 2), Clemson lost its hold on the top spot and was replaced by the Alabama Crimson Tide, marking the team’s record-setting 13th consecutive season with at least one week at No. 1. The Tide keep on rolling.
- With all of the ranking changes, the playoff picture remains super messy. All eyes will be on undefeated Alabama, now the favorite to make the College Football Playoff, but the race is still too close to call (sorry, too soon?).
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