The demands for tickets are so high for Saturday’s Notre Dame game Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney says he could not find tickets for Jesus if he wanted to come.

“That’s the truth,” he said to the media during his weekly Tuesday press conference. “This is a tough ticket out there.”

Notre Dame might have something to say about that. There are a couple of tweets put out by the media and Irish fans that are saying that’s okay because Jesus is on Notre Dame’s visitors’ list.

Clemson is expecting 85,000 to fill Memorial Stadium on Saturday for the 8 p.m. kick, with another 50,000 or so tailgating in the parking lot and watching the game on ABC. In other words, this week’s Notre Dame game is big. ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Clemson, as will a live SportsCenter Show from Death Valley.

“We don’t need to get distracted by things that do not have anything to do with the game,” Swinney said. “Ultimately, it is about how we play the game. It is as simple as that. How we play the game depends on how we prepare. How we think. What we let in between our ears. Don’t get caught up in what some analysis says or what the media says or what one of their players says … that has nothing to do … all that does is drain you. It is a distraction.”

It’s easy to be distracted, however, when that opponent is sixth-ranked Notre Dame.

“They’re Notre Dame. Are you kidding me? This is the winningest program in the history of college football,” Swinney said. “We’ve played some good ones along the way. We’ve played LSU, Georgia, Oklahoma and Ohio State, and those are storied programs. How long have they been around? 1887. Well hopefully, 50 years from now some other old boy will be standing up here at this podium or over there at the new facility, and it will be a whole new crew of media, and hopefully they’ll be asking that other coach what’s it like to play a storied program like Clemson University. That’s what I hope.

“Hopefully one day somebody will ask that question about Clemson. But it’s pretty obvious in this case. They’ve won what, 11 National Championships, and they’re Notre Dame. I mean, listen, I hope they don’t bring Joe Montana with them, I can tell you that. They’re just a great program that have had tons of great players, and All-Americans and great coaches, and they’re a brand of their own.”

They’re Notre Dame.

“The Four Horsemen, Knute Rockne, ‘Win one for the Gipper,’ and all that stuff. That’s what I grew up on,” Swinney said. “The exact moment when I said, ‘That’s Notre Dame,’ I was sitting around watching the three channels we had as a kid and Notre Dame was on TV. Back then you did not get a lot of people on TV, but Notre Dame was on TV. Most everything else you had to listen to on the radio.”

Swinney also heard a lot about Notre Dame from one of his childhood friends, Keith Young.

“He is the biggest Notre Dame fan that you will ever meet in your life. I learned a lot about him, and I learned not to like Notre Dame,” Swinney said.

Swinney also picked at the fact the Pope came to America last week. The leader of the Roman Catholic Church visited New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. last week.

Notre Dame is 5-0 all-time when the Pope comes to the States, including last week’s 62-27 victory over UMass.

“I do think it is a little unfair that they brought the Pope into town just in time for the Clemson game. I think that is a low blow,” Swinney joked. “But we do have Tim Bourret.”

Bourret of course is Clemson’s long-time Sports Information Director for football, but is a Notre Dame graduate. Bourret was a graduate student in the Notre Dame Sports Information Office and was in Clemson in the 1977 game when Joe Montana led the Irish on two fourth-quarter touchdowns to beat the Tigers, 21-17.

He was also working for Clemson in 1979, and was present when the Tigers rallied from a 10-0 halftime deficit to beat Notre Dame in South Bend, 16-10.

“He is 2-0 lifetime in these games,” Swinney said. “He has been on the winning bus both ways.”

“Tim, we are hoping you can trump the Pope, so good luck!”

Swinney might not need luck if he could help Jesus find some tickets.