Syracuse Orange v. Clemson Tigers Prediction and Preview (9/20/25)

As we countdown to kickoff for the start of the Syracuse football season on Aug. 30, The Juice Online will be doing a team-by-team preview of its opponents.

Syracuse opens ACC play with a trip to Death Valley in South Carolina on Sept. 20. For Clemson, this will be their conference home opener after facing Georgia Tech on the road the previous week.

It’s also the first time the Orange return to Memorial Stadium since 2022, a game they led 21–10 in the second half before collapsing late in a 27–21 loss. Their most recent meeting came in 2023 at the Dome, a frustrating 31–14 defeat that saw Clemson dominate both lines of scrimmage.

Clemson enters the 2025 campaign looking to improve on a very respectable 2024 season. Clemson finished the season 10-4 and punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff by beating SMU in the ACC Title game.

They were then beaten by Texas in the first round of the playoffs. The Tigers lead the nation in returning production at 80% and were selected as the top team in the preseason poll at ACC Kickoff.

A look at the Clemson defense

Despite the outcome of their season, there were many places where improvements could be made. None more evident than the defense. Clemson finished outside the top-40 nationally in both scoring defense (25.2 points allowed per game) and total defense (373.2 yards allowed per game).

Their sack production fell below expectations as they only garnered 35 sacks for a 6.94% sack rate. Linebacker Barrett Carter was the backbone of the defense and showcased as the only reliable piece.

Carter tallied 82 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, 7 pass deflections, along with 10.5 tackles for loss. Carter was taken in the 4th round of this year's draft. Defensive tackle Peter Woods (3 sacks) and DEs T.J. Parker (11 sacks) and Sammy Brown (5 sacks) supplied some front‑line juice, but ultimately, it was the secondary that was leaking oil. The secondary allowed 24 passing touchdowns along with 245 yards in the air per game.

A look at the Clemson offense

Looking to other side of the ball, QB Cade Klubnik is coming off a monster junior year in which he threw for 3,639 yards, held a 6:1 TD to INT ratio, and kept a QBR of 78.7 good for 12th in the nation.

Klubnik had a ton of dangerous options around him, none more impressive than running back Phil Mafah who led the ACC with 1,115 yards and 6.3 YPC. Mafah has since been drafted, and Clemson may look to get Gideon Davidson and Marquise Henderson (two incoming 4-stars) going early.

Leading the receiving room is junior Antonio Williams who racked up 904 yards on 75 receptions and found the endzone 11 times.

A prediction and preview for the matchup

This will be a very tough game for the Orange, almost as tough as Tennessee.

I see Syracuse's record falling to 2-2 after SU's sparse secondary gets exposed by Cade Klubnik’s talent.

Death Valley has been a notoriously difficult place to win as a road team, and I see Syracuse falling here, 28-13.

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