Travis Etienne of Clemson running for a 62-yard touchdown in the third quarter of its victory over Notre Dame. Tom Pennington/Getty Images
ARLINGTON, Tex. — Second-seeded Clemson defeated third-ranked Notre Dame, 30-3 on Saturday in the Cotton Bowl, a playoff semifinal, to advance to its third national title game in four seasons and solidify its status as an elite college football program.
Clemson (14-0) will face the winner of Saturday’s other semifinal, the Orange Bowl between No. 1 Alabama (13-0) and No. 4 Oklahoma (12-1), in the national championship game on Jan. 7. Notre Dame (12-1) was seeking its first trip to the title game in six seasons.