Why the Clemson Tigers Can't Overlook Florida State

The Clemson Tigers continued their slide this past Saturday, falling to the Duke Blue Devils 46-45, marking the sixth consecutive loss to a Power Four team since mid-season 2024.

Heading into Week 11, the Tigers are in dire need of a win against the Florida State Seminoles if they want to have even a slight chance of making a bowl game this year.

Although the Seminoles have dropped out of the AP Poll after going 1-4 over the past five weeks, their dominant first conference win against Wake Forest last weekend showed they’re still a team that Clemson can’t overlook.

Florida State started the year on absolute fire, upsetting Alabama in the season opener, 31-17. In the following two weeks, the offense would go berserk, scoring 143 points in the two-game span. It may have been against East Texas A&M and Kent State, but that absurd amount of scoring and offensive skill isn’t regular, regardless of the opponent.

As mentioned before, the Seminoles went on a four-game losing streak following their early-season dominance, but there are still a whole lot of offensive statistics that stick out to the naked eye.

Florida State ranks among the best offenses in the country. The Seminoles are averaging 40 points (7th nationally) and 510.5 total offensive yards per game, which is the best in the country. Boston College transfer Thomas Castellanos’ versatility at quarterback has been a pivotal piece of this success, totaling 2,206 yards from scrimmage and 16 total touchdowns.

On the ground, Florida State boasts the No. 8 rushing offense in the country, averaging over 240 yards per game and totaling 27 touchdowns.

What makes this group so dangerous is how easily they can switch gears. If you load the box to stop the run, they’ll burn you deep; drop too many into coverage, and their backs – even Castellanos – will carve you up on the ground.

Even during their losing streak, that balance has kept Florida State competitive, and it’s something Clemson’s defense can’t afford to overlook.

As dynamic as Florida State’s offense has been, its defense hasn’t been as impressive, but it’s still very solid. The Seminoles are allowing 20.6 points per game, jumping nearly 30 spots nationally from a week ago. However, keep in mind that it jumped due to holding a lackluster Wake Forest offense to seven points.

For Clemson, this matchup feels like a crossroads. The Tigers desperately need a win to keep their bowl hopes alive, but it won’t come easy against a conference rival that’s better than its record suggests.

If the Tigers want to turn things around, it’ll take a complete performance: balance on offense, discipline on defense, and the kind of urgency this team hasn’t shown in weeks. Otherwise, their skid could stretch even longer, and their postseason hopes could officially slip away.