WHO? No. 4 Notre Dame (10-1, 9-1 ACC) vs. No. 1 Alabama (11-0).
WHAT? The College Football Playoff semifinal, a rematch of the 2012 national championship game, a chance to finally change the (somewhat irrational) widespread perception of the Irish program.
Notre Dame thought it had flipped that script with its double-overtime 47-40 win against then-No. 1 Clemson in November, and that win inarguably pushed the Irish into the Playoff, but the 34-10 loss to the Tigers two weeks ago set back the proverbial plot by a few chapters.
WHEN? 4 ET on ESPN, with kickoff expected at about 4:20.