Notre Dame and Clemson square off today at 4 p.m. in the first of the two national college semifinal football games which will have the winners facing off next Monday in the national title game. Alabama and Oklahoma play at 8 p.m. in the other semifinal game.

If you have read and heard the reports on this game in recent weeks, one would wonder why bother to play it. The “experts” say it will be a one-side Clemson Tiger win over the Irish. I don’t know if the “experts” are right but the game will be played and the winner decided on the field, not by the alleged “experts”. They might be right in the end, but I think the Irish play with the same type of intensity that got them an unbeaten 12-0 record.

I’m not going to spend a lot of space writing about today’s game. There have been plenty of articles in the TIMES NEWS and on television to keep fans up to date.

Later I will catch you up on other news surrounding the undefeated Irish.

The Tigers and Irish have played three common opponents — Syracuse, Florida State and Pittsburgh.

Syracuse gave Clemson a run, losing by just 27-23, while the Tigers were all over FSU, 59-10. Against Pitt in the ACC title game, Clemson dominated by a 42-10 score. Meanwhile, Notre Dame routed both Syracuse and Florida State, but struggled with PItt.

I think the current odds have Clemson as a 12-plus point favorite.

Some say ND didn’t play a tough enough schedule, but looking at Clemson’s 12-regular season games, nothing stands out that says they played a better one than ND.

And finally, three Clemson players were suspended for the game due to failing drug tests, including Dexter Lawrence, a defensive tackle who is a projected first round NFL draft pick. ND has no players on the injured list and should be at full strength today.

At any rate the game will go on today from AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, with a kickoff about 4:12 p.m. on ESPN.

Now lets get caught up with other news and awards the Irish have won:

WIMBUSH TRANSFER? ... First, the report that backup quarterback Brandon Wimbush is going to transfer after the season. Wimbush graduated earlier this month and now is eligible to go play immediately anywhere. The fact he won’t be back is not a big surprise. He would remain backup to Ian Book next year, barring any injury to Book, and the Irish have some very talented quarterbacks in waiting, including Phil Jurkovec from western Pa., who head coach Brian Kelly and staff are very high on.

Wimbush was a great player for the Irish, led them to a 10-win season in 2017 and four wins as a starter this year, but the program will not collapse and take a step backwards with him leaving. He’ll look for a school that needs a seasoned starter now and there will be many schools out there wiling to give him a shot.

COACH OF THE YEAR ... Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly was named the Home Depot and Associated Press Coach of the Year . Kelly is the only coach to win the Home Depot award, which began in 1994, more than once. He received the award in 2009 at Cincinnati and 2012 at ND — both of which were also 12-0 regular seasons.

Kelly was also was named the Stallings Award winner, presented by Dr Pepper. Since the 2011 season, the award has been presented annually to an NCAA Div. I college football head coach in recognition of humanitarian contributions in addition to achievements on the field.

Since 2008, Kelly and wife Paqui have raised and donated more than $4.6 million to charitable causes through their Kelly Cares Foundation.

WUERFFEL WINNER ... Danny Wuerffel announced at the National Football Foundation’s Annual Festivities at the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel that University of Notre Dame graduate captain linebacker Drue Tranquill is the recipient of the 2018 Wuerffel Trophy.

The Wuerffel Trophy, presented by the Chick-fil-A Foundation®, is awarded to the Football Bowl Subdivision football player who best exhibits exemplary community service.

Tranquill, a senior linebacker from Fort Wayne, Indiana, is a three-time Wuerffel Trophy nominee and graduated in May with a degree in mechanical engineering. He has been named to the Dean’s List in five of his eight semesters and is a National Football Foundation William V. Campbell Trophy finalist this season. A two-time team captain for the Fighting Irish, Tranquill volunteers his time locally with Lifeworks Ministry, AWP Sports, as an ambassador for Dream Teams, with the Food Bank of Northern Indiana, the Center for the Homeless and South Bend Boys and Girls Clubs, just to name a few. He has also served on three mission trips to the Dominican Republic as a team leader with Here for Kids International.

“Drue’s dedication to serving others, especially young people, is a shining example of our Foundation’s mission to help every child become all they can be,” said Rodney Bullard, Executive Director of the Chick-fil-A Foundation and Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at Chick-fil-A®. “We’re proud to have a part in recognizing him for his service and we look forward to seeing how he continues to lead and inspire.”

The Wuerffel Trophy, named after Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from the University of Florida, is awarded to the Football Bowl Subdivision player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.

ALL-AMERICANS ... ND junior cornerback Julian Love and senior defensive tackle Jerry Tillery were named first-team All-Americans by Sports Illustrated.

Irish senior tight end Alizé Mack was named to the second team.

Love lost out on a sweep when Georgia cornerback DeAndre Baker was named winner of the Jim Thorpe Award, as the nation’s top defensive back.

Love and LSU cornerback Greedy Williams joined Baker as finalists.

By the way Love is ND’s highest-profile draft prospect with remaining eligibility. He’s consistently been in ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s top 25 prospects overall and shows up regularly as a first-rounder in the early mock drafts.

SENIOR BOWL ... Notre Dame running back Dexter Williams and tight end Alizé Mack accepted invitations to play in the Senior Bowl, Jan. 26 in Mobile, Ala.

The Senior Bowl, and the practices leading up to the all-star game itself, have long been the premier showcase for NFL Draft hopefuls.

Mack had a fifth-year option to return to ND in 2019 that he’ll leave on the table.

AWARDS BANQUET ... ND held its annual awards banquet early in December. Following is the list of team award winners:

Rockne Student-Athlete - Drue Tranquill; Newcomer of the Year Offense - Dexter Williams; Newcomer of the Year Defense - Alohi Gilman; Scout Team Player of the Year Offense – Mick Assaf; Scout Team Player of the Year Defense – Ovie Oghoufo; Father Lange Iron Cross - Alex Bars; Irish Around the Bend - Nic Weishar; Moose Krause Lineman of the Year - Jerry Tillery; Pietrosante Award - Tyler Newsome; Offensive Lineman of the Year - Sam Mustipher; Special Teams Player of the Year - Justin Yoon; Back of the Year - Julian Love; Humble & Hungry Award - Jonathan Bonner; Offensive Player of the Year - Miles Boykin; Defensive Player of the Year - Te’von Coney; WOPU Player of the Year - Chris Finke; Impact Player on Offense - Chase Claypool; Impact Player on Defense - Julian Okwara; Next Man In - Brandon Wimbush; and Most Valuable Player - Ian Book.

SIGNING DAY ... ND signed 21 players on the early NCAA national signing day earlier this month. The group was ranked 10th nationally.

PREDICTION ... Today the Irish face an uphill battle. As I have said in the past, I don’t have a lot of confidence in Kelly in such games. But I think the Irish will give the Tigers a good run, and maybe pull off the upset.