The Clemson Tigers are fresh off the second national championship in school history, and even though star players like Deshaun Watson and Mike Williams are no longer there, the program’s expectations haven’t changed. They expect to win the ACC and compete for a College Football Playoff berth this year. Will they accomplish those goals? Here’s a game-by-game prediction of their record this season:
Week 1 - vs. Kent State Golden Flashes
Prediction: WIN (1-0)
Clemson’s only non-conference game against a Group of 5 team will be an easy win. This will serve as a tune up game for the next two weeks.
Week 2 - vs. Auburn Tigers
Prediction: WIN (2-0)
Week 3 - at Louisville Cardinals
Prediction: LOSS (2-1)
This two-game stretch against Auburn and Louisville will be telling as to what we should expect from Clemson the rest of the year. If they lose both, expectations will drop immediately. Win both and they’ll be a legitimate championship contender. Personally, I think they’ll split both.
Auburn will be much better this season with Baylor transfer Jarrett Stidham under center, but they will undoubtedly have some hiccups in their first major road test. Playing at home will give Clemson the narrow win.
However, they won’t be so lucky the next week. Playing at Louisville has proven to be one of the toughest things to do in the ACC (just ask Florida State last year) and Lamar Jackson is a major problem. With the home crowd boosting the rest of the roster, Jackson will lead the Cardinals to the upset.
Week 4 - vs. Boston College Eagles
Prediction: WIN (3-1)
Boston College is excellent defensively - but their offense is just as putrid. Clemson wins a low-scoring game by double-digits.
Week 5 - at Virginia Tech Hokies
Prediction: WIN (4-1)
The Hokies will be very good defensively in Year Two under Justin Fuente, yet they have plenty of question marks on offense. It will be another close game, but it will be one that Clemson wins.
Week 6 - vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Prediction: WIN (5-1)
The talent gap between Wake Forest and Clemson is very, very large. The Tigers will win easily.
Week 7 - at Syracuse Orange
Prediction: WIN (6-1)
This is another game in which Clemson has a major talent advantage, though it will be trickier than others. Syracuse has a very explosive offense capable of putting 40 and 50 points on the board. However, Clemson's defense is going to really limit them - and Syracuse's defense couldn't stop a nosebleed last year.
Week 8 - BYE
Week 9 - vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Prediction: WIN (7-1)
Georgia Tech's option attack is difficult for most teams to defense, but Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables has shown he has an excellent gameplan on how to stop it.
Week 10 - at NC State Wolfpack
Prediction: WIN (8-1)
NC State is a popular pick for a breakout team this season and is a tough place. That said, I don't think the breakout year will happen for them. Clemson wins this game rather comfortably thanks to their defense.
Week 11 - vs. Florida State Seminoles
Prediction: LOSS (8-2)
Much like the last few seasons, this is the game of the year in the ACC. Both sides are fairly evenly matched, but Florida State does have one big advantage - Deondre Francois at quarterback and more proven offensive weapons. Francois will lead the Seminoles to a close road victory.
Week 12 - vs. The Citadel Bulldogs
Prediction: WIN (9-2)
Yeah, there's no way Clemson is losing this one.
Week 13 - at South Carolina Gamecocks
Prediction: WIN (10-2)
This game will be closer than a lot of people think. South Carolina returns more production from last year's team than all but five programs in the country and have a budding star in quarterback Jake Bentley. Yet, as we saw last year, the Gamecocks still have a long way to go before they can match Clemson's talent level. The Tigers' defense will neutralize SC's offensive advantage and win by a touchdown.
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