Sizing up Clemson’s chances to reach the ACC title game for a 7th-straight season
With the season nearing the halfway point, a spot in the ACC title game is still up for grabs for Clemson.
The Tigers’ chance for a seventh straight conference title took a hit a after a double-overtime loss to N.C. State on Sept. 25. All hope isn’t lost, but for the first time in a while, Clemson (3-2) isn’t a lock to win the ACC’s Atlantic Division.
Including the Tigers, here are the Atlantic front-runners with the best chance at reaching the Dec. 4 ACC title game in Charlotte:
ACC standings: Atlantic Division
- Wake Forest: 6-0 (4-0 ACC, 3-0 Atlantic)
- NC State: 4-1 (1-0 ACC, 1-0 Atlantic
- Clemson: 3-2 (2-1 ACC, 1-1 Atlantic)
- Florida State: 2-4 (2-2 ACC, 1-2 Atlantic)
- Louisville: 3-3 (1-2 ACC, 1-1 Atlantic)
- Boston College: 4-1 (0-1 ACC, 0-1 Atlantic)
- Syracuse: 3-3 (0-2 ACC, 0-2 Atlantic
ESPN projections for ACC
ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Clemson (34.6%) the best chance to win the ACC’s Atlantic Division. N.C. State (34.2%) is a close second, followed by Wake Forest (27.2%). Pitt (46.4%) has the best chance to win the ACC title game, according to ESPN’s FPI.
Wake Forest
No one outside of Winston-Salem, North Carolina saw Wake Forest being the undefeated team to beat in the ACC, yet here we are. The Demon Deacons boast a 6-0 overall and 4-0 conference record with three Atlantic Divisional victories over Louisville, Florida State and Syracuse — the latter game one that went into overtime this weekend.
The squad is off this week and won’t play another ACC game until Oct. 30 against Duke. The Demon Deacons then have a string of games against Duke, N.C. State and Clemson before ending the season at Boston College.
Aside from N.C. State, the Demon Deacons are the only team in the division that controls their own fate. All they have to do is continue to win and they’re playing in Charlotte for the conference championship in December.
The last time the Demon Deacons won the league — and for the second time in program history — was in 2006. That season, the group finished with an 11-3 record and lost to Louisville 24-13 in the Orange Bowl.
Wake Forest’s upcoming schedule (x denotes ACC game):
- Oct. 23: at Army
- Oct. 30: vs. Duke -x
- Nov. 6: at UNC
- Nov. 13: vs N.C. State -x
- Nov. 20: at Clemson -x
- Nov. 27: at Boston College -x
Clemson
It’s an obvious sentiment, but winning out for Clemson is easier said than done, especially considering the team’s offensive struggles. The Tigers’ loss to the Wolfpack is the major reason they no longer completely control their destiny at this point. Two N.C. State conference losses would put Clemson back in position to vie for the top spot.
“Nothing’s off the table for us. Nothing is,” Tigers linebacker James Skalski said. “So, we’ve just got to keep one game at a time, just try to win the next one. That’s all we’re going to focus on.”
Clemson got back on the winning side by downing Boston College 19-13 before the Tigers’ bye. The squad has to keep it up to give itself a chance, starting with Syracuse on the road this week in a Friday night contest. The next week will be a cross-divisional road game at Pitt, which is currently 4-1 and has only played one ACC contest on the year.
Clemson will have to avoid potential trap games at Louisville and at home against Florida State — which just won its first two games in as many weeks — before capping off the conference schedule with a Nov. 20 game at Memorial Stadium against the Demon Deacons.
The Tigers’ offense has been the team’s biggest concern but showed a spark against the Eagles. They were able to move the ball better than they have all season, but only got in the end zone once. B.T. Potter salvaged 12 points on four field goals to help the group come up with points.
“Even though B.T.’s a great kicker, we want to be able to just turn those field goals into touchdowns, especially when we get into the red zone,” Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei said. “Just be able to finish drives and just be able to come up with touchdowns instead of field goals, so that was the main thing: just be able to finish periods, finish practice periods. ... Just focusing on finishing.”
Clemson’s upcoming schedule (x denotes ACC game):
- Friday: at Syracuse -x
- Oct. 23: at Pittsburgh -x
- Oct. 30: vs. Florida State -x
- Nov. 6: at Louisville -x
- Nov. 13: vs. Connecticut
- Nov. 20: vs. Wake Forest -x
- Nov. 27: at South Carolina
NC State
The Wolfpack outlasted the Tigers 27-21 in a double overtime contest in Raleigh for Dave Doeren’s first top-10 win and first victory over Clemson as a head coach. It also puts his squad — at 4-1 overall with only ACC game played — second in the Atlantic Division standings behind Wake Forest.
NC State holds the tiebreaker over Clemson and has to lose two ACC games for the Tigers to have a chance to move to the division’s No. 2 spot.
The Wolfpack have a full ACC slate ahead and travel to Boston College this week, which won’t be an automatic win. The Eagles had their bye this weekend and will be determined to avoid a second conference loss after falling to Clemson.
The rest of N.C. State’s schedule includes home games against Louisville and Syracuse and facing Wake Forest on the road.
N.C. State’s upcoming schedule (x denotes ACC game):
- Oct. 16: at Boston College -x
- Oct. 23: at Miami -x
- Oct. 30: vs. Louisville -x
- Nov. 6: at Florida State -x
- Nov. 13: at Wake Forest -x
- Nov. 20: vs. Syracuse -x
- Nov. 26: vs UNC -x
This story was originally published October 12, 2021 at 9:54 AM.
