A closer look at Clemson’s all-new 2020 schedule. Did Tigers’ ACC slate get tougher?
From a worldwide pandemic to no March Madness to mask requirements and canceled events, the year 2020 has been unique in just about every way.
The 2020 college football season, if there is one, will be very different as well.
The Atlantic Coast Conference on Wednesday afternoon did away with previous schedules for 2020 and announced that new schedules have been constructed. The new model features 10 conference games for each team, plus one out-of-conference game to be played in the ACC school’s home state.
With the new schedule there are no divisions for 2020, and Notre Dame will play a full 10-game ACC slate and be eligible for the conference championship game.
As for Clemson, the favorite to win the ACC, the Tigers dropped Louisville and N.C. State from their previous conference schedule, and out-of-conference opponents The Citadel and Akron are gone as well. Clemson added matchups with Miami, Pitt and Virginia Tech. It remains to be seen if the in-state rivalry game against South Carolina takes place as the SEC is reportedly considering a conference-only slate.
Here is a breakdown of Clemson’s schedule in alphabetical order. We don’t know dates yet, but we do know that the first game will be the week of Sept. 7-12.
Clemson vs. Boston College
Clemson was originally scheduled to travel to Chestnut Hill for a Friday night game in October. Now, the Tigers will get the Eagles at home. Boston College coach Jeff Hafley is in his first year and has some rebuilding to do to try to make B.C. an ACC contender. The Eagles went 6-7 last year and lost their best player to the NFL in running back A.J. Dillon.
Clemson at Florida State
The Seminoles are also under new leadership with Mike Norvell leaving Memphis to take over in Tallahassee. FSU has some talent, particularly on the defensive side of the ball with lineman Marvin Wilson and safety Hamsah Nasirildeen leading the way. But there’s a huge gap right now between these two programs. Norvell was brought in to lead Florida State past Clemson and back atop the ACC. If he’s able to do that at some point, it won’t be this year.
Clemson at Georgia Tech
This game was originally set to be Clemson’s season opener — it still could be depending on what the ACC decides to do with scheduling. This was a fun back-and-forth rivalry until recent years when Clemson grabbed control and began to dominate late in Paul Johnson’s tenure. Second-year coach Geoff Collins has built some excitement in Atlanta, but there is a massive talent gap between these two programs.
Clemson vs. Miami
This game could end up being one of Clemson’s toughest of the season. The Hurricanes ended last year on a low note with three straight losses, including a shutout to Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl. Before that, they started the year 6-4 with every loss coming by a touchdown or less. The addition of Houston transfer quarterback D’eriq King should help to make Miami one of the top teams in the league behind Clemson and Notre Dame.
Clemson at Notre Dame
This is undoubtedly Clemson’s toughest game of the regular season, and it’s one college football fans around the country are glad to see still taking place. The Irish are in most preseason top 10s with senior quarterback Ian Book back for his final year. Clemson saw Book a couple of years ago in the College Football Playoff. While he struggled that day, he is still a very capable quarterback. Clemson will likely be favored in this game and should find a way to win, but it won’t be easy. We could also very well see a rematch of this game in the ACC title game. The Irish are playing a full conference slate and are eligible for the ACC football championship for the first time.
Clemson vs. Pitt
Pat Narduzzi seems to always have his team ready to play, and the Panthers went 8-5 with a near upset of Penn State last year. Pitt also led the nation in sacks per game in 2019 and has a couple of studs back on the defensive line in Patrick Jones II and Jaylen Twyman, who could be first-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Pitt front could make it hard on Clemson’s young offensive line, but the Tigers still have a big edge in overall talent and will be plenty motivated after losing to Pitt the last time these two teams met in Death Valley.
Clemson vs. Syracuse
The Orange had big expectations entering 2019 and fell flat in every way. Tommy DeVito is back as a capable quarterback, but he doesn’t have much talent around him and will play behind an offensive line that was really bad last year. Syracuse has an upset and near upset in two of its last three meetings with Clemson, but this game is unlikely to be competitive.
Clemson vs. Virginia
A rematch of last year’s ACC title game, this one should be a blowout as well. Bronco Mendenhall is doing a solid job in Charlottesville and the Cavaliers have talent defensively, but the offense will likely take a big step back with QB Bryce Perkins gone. The star quarterback accounted for nearly 4,300 total yards and 33 touchdowns in 2019, leading Virginia in rushing and passing.
Clemson at Virginia Tech
This is a fun addition to the schedule but is unlikely to be a game that gives Clemson much trouble. Lane Stadium has one of the best atmospheres in the ACC, which in theory could give Clemson’s young offensive line some problems. But crowds are expected to be at less than 50% capacity, if there are any crowds at all. Virginia Tech also suffered a big blow Wednesday when its top cornerback and projected first-round pick Caleb Farley announced that he is sitting out the season to train for the NFL.
Clemson at Wake Forest
Dave Clawson has quietly built a solid program at Wake Forest, leading the Demon Deacons to four consecutive bowl games and going 8-5 last year. However, Wake lost a ton of talent off of last year’s team, and even during its impressive four-season stretch the Demon Deacons never got closer than within two touchdowns of the Tigers. Don’t expect that to change in 2020.
Overall breakdown
This schedule is more difficult than Clemson’s original 2020 slate, but the Tigers should still be favored in every game. Notre Dame will provide a legit test, but outside of that it’s hard to find a game that will be very competitive. Don’t be surprised if Clemson and Notre Dame end up playing twice in 2020, if we are fortunate enough to make it all the way through the college football season without COVID-19 concerns ending the season early.
This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 9:31 AM with the headline "A closer look at Clemson’s all-new 2020 schedule. Did Tigers’ ACC slate get tougher?."
