They advanced to face the winner of the Orange Bowl (Alabama) to compete in the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship.
[5] The game featured second-ranked Clemson of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) against third-ranked Notre Dame, an FBS independent.
[6] The only prior Cotton Bowl to feature two undefeated teams had been the 1948 edition, which ended in a 13–13 tie between Penn State and SMU.
On December 27, it was confirmed that three Clemson players, including starting defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, would be suspended from playing in the game by the NCAA, due to drug testing showing "trace amounts of a banned substance", which was identified as ostarine.
Notre Dame received their bid to the Cotton Bowl with the release of final CFP rankings on December 2.