Clemson football has easiest schedule of all ACC teams, ESPN ranking says

Clemson’s chances of going undefeated this year are pretty high, perhaps higher than in recent seasons. More than just returning a bulk of its players, the Tigers have the easiest schedule among all ACC teams, according to ESPN writer Bill Connelly’s SP+ projections.

Connelly’s strength of schedule rating “is measured by projecting the average win percentage an average top-5 team would produce.” The Tigers ranked No. 70 when it comes to the matter, one spot behind Atlantic Division-mate Boston College.

Clemson not having strong Coastal Division opponents like North Carolina and Miami on the schedule doesn’t help the Tigers’ SOS mark, Connelly noted. They’ll likely play one of the two in the ACC championship game at the end of the season, however. The Tar Heels were chosen by the ACC media as the preseason favorite to represent the Coastal Division in the league title contest on Dec. 4.

Playing Georgia in the season opener also packs little punch for Clemson’s SOS ranking considering the Tigers take on South Carolina State, an FCS program, at home the following week.

Georgia Tech, also in the Coastal Division, was ranked as having the fourth-toughest schedule among the 130 FBS teams and the toughest in the conference. The Yellow Jackets have Notre Dame, Clemson, UNC and Miami on their schedule.

Florida State — which opens the season against Notre Dame and also plays Clemson, UNC and Miami — has the strongest schedule in the Atlantic Division and ranked 12th overall (.810). The Tigers host the Seminoles on Oct. 30.

The only Top 20 team with a weaker schedule than Clemson was Cincinnati (.911), which ranked 79th. No. 22 Coastal Carolina has the No. 123 easiest schedule, according to Connelly’s projections.

Clemson, according to ESPN’s FPI index, has the best chance of all college football teams to go undefeated in 2021.

Ranking Clemson’s 2021 opponents, from hardest to easiest:

1. vs. Georgia in Charlotte (Sept. 4)

2. home vs. Boston College (Oct. 2)

3. at NC State (Sept. 25)

4. home vs. Georgia Tech (Sept. 18)

5. home vs. Florida State (Oct. 30)

6. at South Carolina (Nov. 27)

7. home vs. Wake Forest (Nov. 20)

8. at Pittsburgh (Oct. 23)

9. at Louisville (Nov. 6)

10. home vs. UConn (Nov. 13)

11. at Syracuse (Oct. 15)

12. home vs. South Carolina State (Sept. 11)

This story was originally published August 24, 2021 at 1:26 PM.

Alexis Cubit

The State

Alexis Cubit serves primarily as the Clemson sports reporter for The (Columbia) State newspaper. Before moving to South Carolina in 2021, she covered high school sports for six years and received a first-place award in the sports feature category from the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors in 2019. The California native earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Baylor University in 2014.