SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) For Notre Dame to reach its second straight College Football Playoff, it may have to run the table behind quarterback Ian Book.

"When you step into being the quarterback at Notre Dame, high expectations come with it," said coach Brian Kelly, who has twice in nine seasons directed teams to 12-0 regular seasons only to come up short of delivering the school's first national title since 1988.

Last season, the 6-foot, 212-pound Book completed 68.2% of his passes for 2,628 yards and 19 touchdowns while leading the Fighting Irish to the playoff, where they lost 30-3 to eventual national champion Clemson in the Cotton Bowl semifinal.