Top ACC Opponents Have Clemson Circled On Their Calendars

As the reigning ACC champions, the Clemson Tigers will be headhunted this upcoming season, and there are some hungry teams that are ready to dethrone them.

At the ACC Kickoff in Charlotte, N.C., Florida State, Louisville, and Georgia Tech all spoke to the media on Wednesday, all being opponents for Clemson during the 2025 season.

The Tigers will face the Yellow Jackets on Sept. 13 in Atlanta in the team’s first ACC contest of the year. Georgia Tech returned 65% of its roster and is coming off a season as a disruptor, taking down two top 10 ACC teams (then No. 10-ranked Florida State and No. 4 Miami) and taking Georgia to eight overtimes, falling short.

Now, Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key will look to continue to deliver in the spotlight, which he will have shining at Bobby Dodd Stadium in September.

“We want to play games that are on the national stage,” Key said. “We want to play games that the public has a chance to see our brand of football and who we are as a team, and that's what we're going to continue to look to do when we play those games.”

Then, in November, Clemson has a tough finish to conference play, facing Florida State on Nov. 8 followed by a trip to Louisville to face the Cardinals in a Friday night showdown on Nov. 14.

Despite the Seminoles finishing 2024 with an abysmal 2-10 record, head coach Mike Norvell is looking for the expectations of the 2023 season: the season that saw them take home the ACC title.

“That's what gives me excitement for this year, because I've watched a football team of guys that have said yes,” Norvell said on Wednesday. “They're not just saying it with their voice, they're saying it with their action.”

Transfer quarterback Tommy Castellanos is embracing the challenge as well, saying that the Nov. 8 game will be “one of the biggest games he’s been a part of”.

“I’m excited to go down to Death Valley,” Castellanos said. “I’m excited for that matchup and just excited to get on that stage and play against a great team like Clemson.”

Louisville gave Clemson its only ACC loss last season, a 33-21 defeat at home that put the Tigers at risk of missing the ACC Championship before factors that worked in their favor. Head coach Jeff Brohm, similar to other squads, has a foundation that is ready to contend.

“We feel like we've got very good components that understand what lies ahead and what it's going to take to win,” Brohm said. “So for the last couple years here at the University of Louisville, we've had some success. We want to continue to improve upon that and push it forward, correct some of the mistakes we made along the way, and have a successful season.”

Another transfer quarterback, Miller Moss, is excited for the Clemson matchup as well, reminding him of the 2016 duel between Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson.

“You always want to play in primetime with those big games, and I think those are the big games that you come to play college football for,” Moss said. “Those are the games that you dream about playing as a kid.”

In college football as a whole, one thing is certain: winning a title is one thing, but defending it is even tougher. With plenty of teams circling Clemson on its schedule, it will be a tall task.