For the second time this season, two of the best schools in the nation will go head-to-head on the gridiron as the undefeated No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the No. 3 Clemson Tigers in the ACC Championship game on Saturday from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

You can watch the heavyweight tilt Saturday afternoon at 4pm et/1pm pt on TSN3 and streaming on TSN.ca, the TSN App and TSN Direct.

The 10-0 Fighting Irish handed the 9-1 Tigers their first lost of the season on Nov. 7 with a thrilling 47-40 double overtime win on their home turf, a contest that arguably was the game of the year in college football.

An impressive victory for sure, but it should be noted that Clemson was without their star quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and football's next potential superstar.

Lawrence was missing his second straight game after testing positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 28. Freshman D.J. Uiagalelei played well against Notre Dame, but was unable to pull out the victory.

Now with Lawrence back in the fold and dominating once again, Saturday's game has a different feel going in. It will be interesting to see if the stud pivot can connect with Canadian wide receiver Ajou Ajou. The freshman from Brooks, Alta., has two receptions this season, including an impressive 35-yard touchdown in October.

Ajou's remarkable story is featured in Dave Naylor's latest piece for TSN.ca.  

Clemson and Notre Dame have faced off only once with Lawrence behind centre, a 30-3 rout in favour of the Tigers in the 2018 College Football Playoff semifinals. Lawrence threw for 327 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in that game.

Here's are some interesting stats and numbers to keep in mind.

 

A Rarity

Saturday's game will mark the fourth time in the AP Poll era (since 1936) that two teams in the top five will square off twice in the same season.

The last time was in 2011 when the Alabama Crimson Tide fell to the LSU Tigers in the regular season before shutting them out in the BCS National Championship.

2020 - Clemson vs. Notre Dame
2011 - Alabama vs LSU
1996 - Florida vs Florida State
1959 - Ole Miss vs LSU

It was also mark the first ACC Championship game between two teams in the top-five of the AP rankings.

These were the other ACC matchups between top-five teams:

2020 - (4) Notre Dame def. (1) Clemson, 47-40 (2OT)
2016 - (5) Clemson def. (3) Louisville, 42-36
2013 - (5) Florida State def. (3) Clemson, 51-14
2005 - (5) Miami def. (3) Virginia Tech, 27-7
2004 - (5) Miami def. (4) Florida State, 16-10
1997 - (3) Florida State def. (5) North Carolina, 20-3

 

Lawrence in control

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Over three seasons with Clemson, the 21-year-old Lawrence has a total record of 33-1, including a national championship victory in 2018.

The impressive .971 winning percentage is the second best all-time mark for a quarterback in NCAA Division 1 FBS history (minimum 30 starts). Lawrence's only loss came last season, a 42-25 defeat to now-Bengals QB Joe Burrow and LSU in the College Football Playoff National Championship game.

So, who's No. 1 all-time?

That honour goes to Toledo pivot Chuck Ealey, who amassed a perfect 35-0 record from 1969 to 1971, winning the 1970 Tangerine Bowl.

Ealey never made it to the NFL, but found success in the CFL, spending seven seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts from 1972 to 1978. The American won the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie award in 1972, leading the Ticats to a league championship that season in the 60th Grey Cup.

1969-71 - Chuck Ealey, TOL (35-0, 1.000)
2018-20 - Trevor Lawrence, CLEM (33-1, .971)
1973-75 - Steve Davis, OKLA (32-1-1, .956)
1999-02 - Ken Dorsey, MIA (38-2,.950)
2003-05 - Matt Leinart, USC (37-2, .949)
2008-11 -  Kellen Moore, BSU (50-3, .943)
2003-05 - Vince Young, TEX (30-2, .938)

Lawrence has thrown for 2,431 yards with 20 touchdowns and three interceptions this season. He has also ran for 121 yards and six touchdowns.

During his entire tenure with Clemson, the native of Cartersville, GA., has 9,376 passing yards, 86 touchdowns and 15 interceptions as well as 16 rushing touchdowns over 34 games.