Clemson, FSU won’t play makeup game after all. Here’s the latest
Clemson’s game at Virginia Tech on Saturday will be its final of the regular season.
The Tigers will not make up the postponed game with Florida State, the ACC announced Tuesday evening. With the news, Clemson can clinch a spot in the ACC championship game with a win Saturday over the Hokies, or if Miami loses either of its final two games against Duke or North Carolina.
The Atlantic Coast Conference set aside Dec. 12 as a date for makeup games in this coronavirus-affected season.
Notre Dame and Clemson will both be off Dec. 12, the ACC decided. The Irish were scheduled to play Wake Forest that day, but that game is now canceled. Instead, Wake Forest will play at Louisville on Dec. 12.
“The league’s athletic directors have voted to preserve the integrity of the ACC Football Championship Game by evaluating each of the three teams in contention (Clemson, Miami and Notre Dame) based on a nine-game conference schedule,” the ACC said in a release. “As a result, Clemson and Notre Dame will conclude the regular season this weekend.”
Notre Dame has already clinched a spot in the ACC title game, where it appears likely the Irish will face the Tigers.
Clemson is a 22-point favorite over Virginia Tech this weekend.
If Clemson and Notre Dame do end up playing, it will be a rematch of a game played Nov. 7 in South Bend. Tigers star quarterback Trevor Lawrence missed that game after testing positive for COVID-19, and the Irish earned a 47-40 double-overtime victory.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney gets his wish with Tuesday’s announcement. Swinney made it clear he did not want to make a return trip to Tallahassee this year. Clemson’s game at FSU scheduled for Nov. 21 was postponed after a Tigers offensive lineman tested positive for COVID-19 on the Friday ahead of the game.
Swinney, the following Sunday, said: “If they want to play Clemson, in my opinion, they need to come to Clemson or they need to pay for all expenses. Other than that, there’s no reason for us to play them. We were there, we were ready and we met the standard” to play.
Swinney said Tuesday morning that he did not know yetif the Tigers would play the makeup game. He did say that if the ACC decided to schedule a game for Clemson on Dec. 12, it should be against FSU.
“I think if we had to play a game we should play the game that was scheduled. That’s what I think,” he said. “We shouldn’t have to prepare for a 12th game. We had an 11-game schedule. We should play the game that we were prepared to play if we are supposed to play a game.”
Clemson football 2020 schedule, game scores
Sept. 12: Clemson 37, Wake Forest 13
Sept. 19: Clemson 49, The Citadel 0
Oct. 3: Clemson 41, Virginia 23
Oct. 10: Clemson 42, Miami 17
Oct. 17: Clemson 73, Georgia Tech 6
Oct. 24: Clemson 47, Syracuse 21
Oct. 31: Clemson 34, Boston College 28
Nov. 7: Notre Dame 47, Clemson 40, 2 OT
Nov. 21: at Florida State CANCELED
Nov. 28: Clemson 52, Pitt 17
Dec. 5: at Virginia Tech, 7:30 pm, ABC
This story was originally published December 1, 2020 at 5:00 PM.
