Preview and Predictions: Clemson at Florida State
For the third straight week, the No. 4/5 Clemson Tigers will welcome the eyes of prime-time national television audience on ABC when they face the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday, Oct. 15. Kickoff for the divisional matchup at Doak Campbell Stadium on ABC's Saturday Night Football is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Though Head Coach Dabo Swinney noted Clemson's offense was "not as crisp as we've been" in last week's 31-3 win at Boston College, the Tigers are off to one of their most consistent scoring starts in program history. Clemson has hit the 30-point mark in every game this season, the program's third time reaching 30 points in each of the first six games of a season.
Will Vandervort: Florida State will be the biggest challenge the Tigers have faced, from an offensive standpoint, thus far. Yes, even more than Wake Forest. Why? Because the Seminoles are more balanced. They can run the football and they can throw it. However, Clemson's rush defense leads the ACC and ranks second nationally, plus FSU's top running back, Treshaun Ward, will not play after suffering an injury at NC State last week. If the Tigers can make FSU one dimensional it greatly helps their chances at a victory. Another key for Clemson is to keep quarterback Jordan Travis in the pocket. He is at his best when he gets outside the pocket and improvises. This is when most of the Seminoles' explosive plays take place. On the offense end, the Tigers need to establish the running game. FSU has one of the ACC's worst run defenses and they were unable to slow down Wake Forest or NC State in the run game the last two weeks. Clemson needs to run the football in order to win this game. I think they will.
Clemson 27, Florida State 20
Jason Priester: This is no doubt Clemson's toughest test to date, as this is a vastly improved Florida State team. Jordan Travis is a dynamic playmaker and the Seminoles' offense goes as he goes. He is especially dangerous when he's allowed to get outside of the pocket, so containing him will be key. Fortunately for the Tigers, they are finally fully healthy along the defensive line. Expect the Clemson defense to win the battle at the line of scrimmage and shut down the run, making the Florida State offense one-dimensional. On the offensive side, points could be at a premium, as the Seminoles have extremely good against the pass. Getting the ground game going against a Florida State defense that has been susceptible to the run will be key.
Clemson 27 Florida State 21
Zach Lentz: This week, Clemson will be in search of its 10th 7-0 start in program history and its seventh such start under Swinney. Clemson opened the 1948, 1981, 2000, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020 campaigns with seven straight wins, earning a conference title (either Southern Conference or ACC) in eight of those nine seasons. Neither the kickoff time nor the ABC spotlight will be new for Clemson. The game will be Clemson's third consecutive 7:30 p.m. contest on ABC, making Clemson the first team since the 2015 Oklahoma Sooners to play in ABC's marquee contest in three consecutive weeks. Clemson went on to defeat that 2015 Oklahoma squad in the College Football Playoff semifinal. I for one am not buying that FSU is back, but you know who is: the Clemson defense. The Tigers have not scored less than 30 in any game this season.
Clemson 31 Florida State 17
Brad Senkiw: Clemson faces an intriguing situation here. The Tigers were more heavily favored early in the week, so why did the line drop? This is a true road game atmosphere that won't be easy to handle. But Clemson is the most talented team. Ultimately, Dabo Swinney knows how to coach these kinds of big games. He'll be conservative with his decision-making and let FSU make the game-changing mistake, which should allow the Tigers to pull out a close win at Doak.
Clemson 27, Florida State 23
The line dropped from Tigers -7.5 to -3.5, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
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