Clemson vs. Florida State preview, prediction: Week 7 college football picks
A pair of ACC division rivals meet up at Doak as Florida State welcomes No. 4 Clemson in college football's Week 7 action on Saturday.
Clemson moved up a spot in the top 25 rankings this week, while the Seminoles remain unranked and on a two-game losing streak, to a pair of ranked conference rivals in Wake and NC State.
But the Tigers are still perfect on the year, winning those two games, and in position to make another run at the College Football Playoff.
Here's what you need to know about Saturday's matchup.
Clemson vs. Florida State preview, prediction
Week 7 college football schedule: Clemson vs. Florida State
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How to watch
When: Sat., Oct. 15
Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern
TV: ABC network
Stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
More college football on SI: College football scores | College football rankings | College football schedule
Odds, point spread, betting lines
Odds courtesy SI Sportsbook
Game line: Clemson -3.5
Clemson ATS: 3-3
Florida State ATS: 4-2
Over/under: 51
Moneyline: CLEM -188 FSU +138
FPI pick: Clemson 72.7%
Related: Clemson vs. Florida State picks, predictions: Week 7 college football odds, spread, lines
Clemson vs. Florida State: What you need to know
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1. Keep your foot on the pedal. After scoring 30 or more points in each of its first six games, Clemson has definitely taken important steps in building its offensive capacity this season, item No. 1 on Dabo Swinney's agenda coming in. DJ Uiagalelei has gone over 200 yards passing in each game, has 14 TDs against just 2 picks, and is hitting on 64.2% of his throws. Now he goes against a Seminole coverage that's good for 14th nationally and tops in the ACC in pass defense. Turnovers are at a minimum for this unit, which is getting consistent balance from lead back Will Shipley, who has scored 19 times in 16 career games, 8 of which came this season, and he's almost to 6 ypc so far.
2. Battle at the line. Florida State ranks 25th nationally with 204.2 rushing yards per game, is 11th at 5.75 ypc, and has posted 13 touchdowns on the ground. Clemson is No. 2 in college football allowing just under 64 rushing yards per game and has surrendered only two scores from opposing backs. Now there's concern about lead Seminole rusher Treshaun Ward's availability as he deals with a collarbone injury. FSU will have to get creative with a battery of outside runs to throw the Clemson interior alignment out of position and get its backs involved more in the passing game to build some early momentum, spread the Tigers out more, and keep them guessing.
3. Jordan Travis vs. Clemson's secondary. Florida State's quarterback is a genuine dual threat, one of 10 active FBS players with over 4,000 career passing yards and more than 1,500 rushing yards. Clemson's back seven got a bad reputation after a disastrous showing in the Wake game, and overall the unit does rank just 96th in passing defense. Travis can build some rhythm with middle-range passes and is tough to stop when he gets going. It may not be enough to compensate for any struggles running the ball, but Wake played Clemson close without needing to balance things out.
Clemson vs. Florida State: Fast Facts
+ Clemson is 98-3 against unranked teams since 2012
+ Florida State has held 2 opponents to 2 or fewer 3rd down conversions this season
+ 5 of Clemson's last 6 wins vs. FSU have been by double digits
+ FSU is 1st in ACC with 14.27 yards per completion
+ Clemson has the nation's longest win streak (12 games)
+ FSU has scored on 9 of its first 12 drives of a half this season with 8 TDs
+ Clemson is 134-8 when leading at halftime under Swinney and 15-25 when not
+ Seminoles allowed 4 plays of 30-plus yards this year, 3rd fewest in FBS
+ Clemson is 139-5 under Swinney leading after 3 quarters and 12-27 when trailing
+ Florida State is 1st nationally with 45 plays of 20-plus yards this year
+ Clemson has scored in 24 of 26 quarters of play this season
Clemson vs. Florida State Prediction
Travis will test Clemson's back seven enough to keep the game within striking distance all night, and the Seminoles have enough athleticism and depth to work some consistent yardage in short range on the ground.
This might not be the same kind of elite offense that Clemson put on the field back in the early College Football Playoff era, but it's also not that confused, out of sorts unit we saw last season, either.
Uiagalelei has been consistent, keeping the ball out of the other team's hands, and letting his receivers do a lot of the work, too. Even at those moments when the offense gets bogged down - like at BC last week - he's able to grind his way through, with help from this gifted backfield.
College Football HQ Prediction: Clemson 30, Florida State 24
College football rankings
According to AP top 25 poll
1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Alabama
4. Clemson
5. Michigan
6. Tennessee
7. USC
8. Oklahoma State
9. Ole Miss
10. Penn State
11. UCLA
12. Oregon
13. TCU
14. Wake Forest
15. NC State
16. Mississippi State
17. Kansas State
18. Syracuse
19. Kansas
20. Utah
21. Cincinnati
T-22. Kentucky
T-22. Texas
24. Illinois
25. James Madison