This has been a spectacular season for Notre Dame, as the undefeated Fighting Irish (12-0) have been battle-tested in games against Michigan, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Northwestern, Syracuse and USC, and head coach Brian Kelly's team has come up with the winning formula in every one of those games.
The reward for Notre Dame is a spot in the College Football Playoffs against the Clemson Tigers (13-0), a team that has joined Alabama as one of the two elite programs in college football.
The Fighting Irish and Tigers are competing in the Cotton Bowl for the right to play the winner of the Alabama-Oklahoma game for the national championship.