Clemson and Florida State largely have run the Atlantic Coast Convention of late, successful 13 of the final 14 convention championships between them.
After they meet Saturday in South Carolina, they’re going to be combating for one thing far much less important: bowl eligibility.
The Tigers (3-5, 2-4 ACC) and visiting Seminoles (4-4, 1-4) have struggled to seek out consistency this season, though Clemson’s struggles are way more stunning.
The Tigers started the season fourth within the AP Prime 25 ballot.
After final week’s 46-45 house loss to Duke, the Tigers’ streak of 20 straight bowl appearances is in severe jeopardy.
“Exhausting to place into phrases the frustration,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney mentioned. “Very irritating.”
The largest disappointment is the protection underneath new coordinator Tom Allen. After the Tigers completed every of the earlier 9 seasons within the prime 4 of the ACC in scoring protection, this 12 months’s Clemson protection ranks tenth, permitting 24.0 factors per recreation.
Clemson outgained Duke by 121 yards however allowed the Blue Devils to amass 158 yards and 11 factors within the fourth quarter.
“Defensively, simply not a lot good,” Swinney mentioned. “… I really feel prefer it’s back-to-back video games we have misplaced to Clemson with a bunch of big-play busts and poor consciousness.”
Florida State enters this week in a greater head house after snapping its four-game dropping streak with a 42-7 beatdown of Wake Forest.
Regardless of the issues which have arisen, Florida State’s 18 performs of 40-plus yards are essentially the most of any Energy 4 workforce.
Receiver Duce Robinson is an enormous a part of that success. He had 148 receiving yards and a landing final week, his third recreation of the season with 140-plus yards. His 689 yards rank third within the ACC, and he is second within the league in yards per catch (20.3).
This week begins a stretch of three of Florida State’s last 4 video games being on the highway. The Seminoles have performed simply two highway video games so far, dropping at Virginia and Stanford.
“To have the ability to go and get our first highway win, that is one thing essential for us, one thing that we have got to go on the market and get executed,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell mentioned.
–Subject Degree Media
