Clemson releases 2020 football schedule. Here’s who the Tigers will play
Clemson’s complete football schedule for the 2020 season was released Wednesday morning. The Tigers now know their path to win a sixth consecutive ACC title and what they’ll have to do to earn a sixth straight College Football Playoff berth.
Clemson’s nonconference slate had already been set — Notre Dame, South Carolina, Akron and The Citadel — but the ACC schedule was released Wednesday to finish off the 2020 slate.
Here are three takeaways, as well as the complete schedule:
1. Road opener
Clemson opens the season at Georgia Tech on Thursday, Sept. 3. This is the first time Clemson has opened the season on the road since 2016 at Auburn. The Tigers are playing an ACC opponent to open the season on the road for the first time since 1996 at North Carolina. Clemson is currently on a five-game winning streak against the Yellow Jackets and has a chance to win three straight at Georgia Tech for the first time in program history.
2. Toughest stretch
Clemson’s toughest three-game stretch is from Sept. 26 against Virginia through Oct. 10 at Florida State. The Tigers have a Friday night game at Boston College on Oct. 2 sandwiched in between those two. Virginia was Clemson’s opponent in the 2019 ACC title game, while Boston College and FSU both have excitement with new coaches on board. FSU is the only team in the ACC that recruits near the same level as the Tigers, and traveling to Boston College and to FSU back-to-back marks the two longest road trips on Clemson’s 2020 ACC slate.
3. Toughest game
The hardest game of the season will be Nov. 7 at Notre Dame in what will be a rematch of the 2018 Cotton Bowl, a game the Tigers won 30-3 on their way to a national title. Clemson typically plays a Power 5 out-of-conference opponent other than South Carolina each season, and that team in 2020 is Notre Dame. The Tigers have also played Texas A&M, Auburn and Georgia in recent years and have games with Georgia, LSU and Oklahoma scheduled for the future. Notre Dame went 11-2 last season with its only losses coming to Georgia and Michigan. Clemson does get a bye before the Notre Dame game, something Dabo Swinney, Brent Venables and the rest of Clemson’s coaching staff has to be pleased with.
Full 2020 Clemson football schedule
Kickoff times will be set at later dates
Sept. 3: at Georgia Tech (Thursday)
Sept 12: vs. Louisville
Sept. 19: vs. Akron
Sept. 26: vs. Virginia
Oct. 2: at Boston College (Friday)
Oct. 10: at Florida State
Oct. 17: vs. N.C. State
Oct. 24: vs. Syracuse
Oct. 31: Open
Nov. 7: at Notre Dame
Nov. 14: vs. The Citadel
Nov. 21: at Wake Forest
Nov. 28: vs. South Carolina
Dec. 5: ACC Championship game (Charlotte)
This story was originally published January 22, 2020 at 9:05 AM.
