NoleGameday staff score predictions for FSU football at Clemson

The Florida State Seminoles are closing in on a primetime matchup against the Clemson Tigers in Death Valley on Saturday. The two most recent ACC Champions are now fighting to get out of the bottom of the conference and contend for bowl eligibility.

Surprisingly, the Seminoles and Tigers are just a combined 7-9. Clemson is 3-5 and needs to win three of its final four regular-season games to avoid missing a bowl game for the first time in Dabo Swinney's long tenure.

FSU has dropped eight of the last nine meetings against the Tigers. The Seminoles did defeat Clemson on the road in 2023, their most recent victory in the rivalry.

Our staff at NoleGameday provides their predictions and analysis as the Seminoles prepare to take on the Tigers.

Dustin Lewis (@DustinLewisNG)

Nov 1, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell looks on before the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

This is a tough game to predict, considering the way the season has unfolded for Florida State and Clemson. It gets even more difficult with the Seminoles coming off a 42-7 victory and the Tigers reeling from a wild 46-45 loss.

Florida State is 0-2 on the road this season, but Clemson is only 1-4 at home. One of these teams is going to find a way to end its struggles on Saturday night.

The key for the Seminoles is to create chaos on defense. Clemson has committed at least one turnover in every game and ranks among the bottom of the country after losing seven fumbles. Florida State forced two turnovers in the victory against Wake Forest, including its first fumble recovery in over a year.

Clemson's struggles are mind-blowing and hard to fathom. The Tigers are less than a year removed from a conference title and College Football Playoff appearance. They brought back a ton of production, but something just isn't right with this team.

At the same time, this is a game I expect Clemson to get up for. They've handled the series over the last decade.

Florida State's only two victories in Death Valley since 2013 came with me in attendance. Unfortunately, I won't be in the building this year so that might seal the Seminoles' fate.

In all seriousness, I feel like it's best to roll with the reverse jinx route at this point. Florida State defeated Alabama, a game I projected them to lose. Then the Seminoles went on to fall short in four straight games where I predicted them to win.

Guess what happened last week? I took Wake Forest and Florida State snapped its losing streak. It only seems right to pick the Tigers this time around.

2025 Season Prediction Record: 2-6

Tigers 31, Seminoles 28

Logan Robinson (@LogansTwitty)

Clemson is in a bad spot, one we haven’t seen really yet in the tenure of Dabo Swinney. Their fanbase is angry, as they should be with all of the high expectations coming into the season. FSU, I think, comes in with an advantage with a ton of pressure for Swinney, staff, and players to show up and win this one.

I think that ends up being too much of a mental game for them, and if the Seminoles get their offense going early, fans will be leaving Death Valley by halftime. I’ve got the ‘Noles getting their second ACC win of the season and first road game win of 2025.

2025 Season Prediction Record: 3-5

Seminoles 31, Tigers 27

Austin Veazey (@EasyVeazeyNG)

A movable force against a stoppable object. That's what we're going to be seeing on Saturday evening. Clemson is 1-4 at home this year, and the one win was against Troy in a game that was way closer than it needed to be. And Florida State has yet to win a road game.

If a college game could end in a tie, this would be the one to do it (they can't anymore). There is truly no result in this game that would be surprising to me. I do think it'll be lower scoring. Why? Because nothing about this season makes sense.

I'll take Clemson in a tight one, with FSU losing because of a failed two-point conversion near the end.

2025 Season Prediction Record: 3-5

Tigers 24, Seminoles 23

Dillon Riera (@13d_riera)

Florida State's victory over Wake Forest last week was an emphatic one, but it did little to make the fanbase believe that a corner has actually been turned for the 2025 iteration of FSU Football. In fact, the performance has only underscored how inconsistent HC Mike Norvell's team has been this year.

Although I was forced to eat my words and face the music for last week's vote of no confidence in this team, I'm no more inclined to believe that this team is capable of carrying such momentum into Death Valley* come Saturday. Clemson has presided over the ACC for nearly a decade now, but it appears that reign may be at an end.

The Tigers hold a disappointing 3-5 record entering the matchup against the Seminoles, and HC Dabo Swinney's team is struggling to find its footing on both sides of the ball despite the overwhelming level of talent on the roster. Clemson is on a 4 game losing streak at home to power conference opponents, and recent losses to Syracuse, SMU, and Duke have the Tiger fanbase yearning for answers.

This is almost certainly not the dominant Clemson team of old, but this is far from an easy victory for the incoming 'Noles. The Tigers average 296.9 passing yards per game, and DC Tony White's defense has struggled against the air attack as of late. Moreover, Clemson's defense is holding opposing offenses to an average of 105.8 rushing yards and 24 points per game.

Swinney's crew has had its share of recent struggles, but they're a team capable of winning on any given Saturday, regardless of what the record may indicate.

Florida State's silver lining lies with their offense, which is among the nation's best in a myriad of categories. Their 241.3 rushing yards per game is 8th in the nation, their 40.0 points per game is 7th in the nation, WR Duce Robinson leads the ACC with 9 30-yard catches and is a close second in 20-, 40- and 60-yard receptions, and QB Thomas Castellanos has operated within the offense without much trouble.

The Florida State defense, however, has been an entirely different story. DC Tony White's group had a strong showing against the Demon Deacons last week, but it remains to be seen if the group can replicate that performance week to week.

Look, Clemson is obviously down this year, and if Florida State were to ever gain some ground back on the Tigers, it would be now. But, I'm still finding it difficult to project anything for this Florida State team. The homer in me wants to believe that the performance against Wake is a sign of things to come in the waning weeks of the 2025 football season, but the consistency issues in multiple facets of the game are far too glaring to overlook.

I think this game will be a close one, perhaps even a full-on shootout. However, I'm inclined to give Swinney and the Tigers a slight edge, especially considering their loss last week to Duke, the unfavorable matchups for the 'Noles across specific position groups and game plan elements, and the difficult environment that Death Valley will most certainly present in primetime on Saturday night.

Norvell's team is capable of leaving South Carolina with a win this weekend, but it may end up being another case of too little, too late for the up-and-down Seminoles.

2025 Season Prediction Record: 2-6

Tigers 31, Seminoles 27

Tommy Mire (@TommyM3III)

The road hasn’t been kind for the Florida State Seminoles this season, and they are 0-2 on the year away from home. The bad news is that Death Valley is one of the toughest places to play in college football, and paired with their road game slump, it puts the Clemson Tigers as favorites to win the matchup.

The good news for FSU is that Clemson hasn’t been the dominating force in the ACC that it has in years past this season, and FSU will have a chip on its shoulder and some momentum after recently dominating Wake Forest.

FSU statistically has one of the best offenses in the country, which should give them an edge. There are bowl implications on the line for both teams, but I don’t think the Seminoles can get it done this weekend.

2025 Season Prediction Record: 4-4

Tigers 28, Seminoles 24

Robert Malcom (@kwrobertm)

Last week's win over Wake Forest was a much-needed sigh of relief for the Seminoles, bringing back some confidence to the players, coaches, and fanbase.

As FSU travels to Clemson this weekend to take on the Clemson Tigers, whose struggles in 2025 are arguably worse than those seen in Tallahassee, holding a 3-5 record (2-4 in ACC) on the 2025 season, this is a must win game for both teams in terms of bowl eligibility, with Florida State needing two wins, and Clemson needing three to play in the postseason.

There was a time when this game determined who was playing for a conference championship; this weekend, it is a matchup of two "has-been" college football dynasties now at the bottom of the ACC.

If this game were in Tallahassee, I would see no reason to pick against Florida State; however, given the poor road outings from the Noles in 2025, I have to give Clemson a slight advantage with the primetime kickoff in Death Valley.

2025 Season Prediction Record: 2-6

Tigers 38, Seminoles 34

Jackson Bakich (@jacksonbakich)

The Florida State Seminoles have a unique rivalry with the Clemson Tigers. In the 2010s, the game always felt like more than just a conference matchup, and instead like a play-in game to either the national championship or the four-team playoff - with a lot of bad blood to go with it.

Now, this game doesn’t feel that way anymore. I think this game could easily go either way, one play here or there. But ultimately, I think FSU has more wind in its sails at the moment, so I’ll give them the edge despite the hostile crowd.

2025 Season Prediction Record: 4-4

Seminoles 31, Tigers 28

CONSENSUS: Clemson (5-2)

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