The ACC's biggest regular-season game of the year finally arrived Saturday and it did not disappoint.
Notre Dame outlasted the top-ranked Clemson Tigers, who were without quarterback Trevor Lawrence, 47-40 in two overtimes in South Bend, Indiana. The win ended Clemson's 28-game ACC win streak and gave the Fighting Irish their first victory over a No. 1 team at home in 27 years. Quarterback Ian Book piloted the Irish down the field in a two-minute drill at the end of regulation to force overtime before he led two scoring drives in the extra session to snap the Tigers' streak. Book ended with 310 passing yards and a touchdown, while Kyren Williams was Notre Dame's catalyst with 140 yards on the ground and three touchdowns.
The win made Notre Dame a unanimous pick from our writers for the College Football Playoff for the first time this season, while Clemson fell off two lists for the first time in 2020. The teams will likely meet in the ACC championship game in December.
Ohio State claimed its highest spot this week, replacing Clemson as the second-ranked team in nearly all of our writers' selections. The Buckeyes rolled past Rutgers 49-27 and Justin Fields once again put up Heisman-esque numbers.
Alabama was on a bye this weekend, but it's safe to say the Crimson Tide's hold on the No. 1 spot is safe following Clemson's loss on Saturday.
BYU lands in two of our writers' picks following a 51-17 rout of Boise State but the Cougars round out the list of five teams this week.
Andrea Adelson: 1. Alabama, 2. Ohio State, 3. Notre Dame, 4. Clemson
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Alabama, 2. Ohio State, 3. Notre Dame, 4. Clemson
Bill Connelly: 1. Alabama, 2. Ohio State, 3. Notre Dame, 4. BYU
Heather Dinich: 1. Alabama, 2. Ohio State, 3. Notre Dame, 4. Clemson
David M. Hale: 1. Alabama, 2. Ohio State, 3. Notre Dame, 4. Clemson
Sam Khan Jr.: 1. Alabama, 2. Notre Dame, 3. Ohio State, 4. Clemson
Chris Low: 1. Alabama, 2. Notre Dame, 3. Ohio State, 4. Clemson
Harry Lyles Jr.: 1. Alabama, 2. Ohio State, 3. Notre Dame, 4. Clemson
Ryan McGee: 1. Alabama, 2. Ohio State, 3. Notre Dame, 4. BYU
Adam Rittenberg: 1. Alabama, 2. Ohio State, 3. Clemson, 4. Notre Dame
Alex Scarborough: 1. Alabama, 2. Ohio State, 3. Notre Dame, 4. Clemson
Mark Schlabach: 1. Alabama, 2. Notre Dame, 3. Ohio State, 4. Clemson
Tom VanHaaren: 1. Alabama, 2. Ohio State, 3. Notre Dame, 4. Clemson
Dave Wilson: 1. Alabama, 2. Ohio State, 3. Notre Dame, 4. Clemson