The Tigers have taken care of business throughout the first eight weeks of the season, and they have just four more games to go. Whether it’s DJ, Shipley, the Avengers, or even the kicking duo (that has yet to miss an extra point), these guys find ways to consistently get in the win column. Only two other times has Clemson been able to stay un-scathed throughout the course of the regular season (and postseason): 2018 and 1981.
Here are Clemson’s next four opponents and how things need to play out for Clemson to remain undefeated this season.
At Notre Dame
The Tigers have the edge on the Fighting Irish, leading the all-time series 4-2, but this matchup may be more than contentious. Clemson took them down in the ACC Championship Game during the COVID year, and they’ll be looking for revenge. Notre Dame has a vulnerability to them, though, as they currently sit at 4-3. Dropping the ball against mid-tier Sun Belt and Pac 12 teams means they have the ability to lose even the games they are favored in. That’s not going to help when they go up against the #5 team in the country. We’ll have to keep an eye on their performance against Syracuse.
Louisville
For the rest of the regular season, the fellas get to make themselves at home. They won’t travel outside of Clemson until the post-season play. That’s right – that means three more times to see Dabo’s wheels:
Having home field advantage is going to be crucial in the journey towards flawlessness, though Louisville has to put up a miraculous performance in order to derail the momentum of the Tigers. They currently are 4-3, but two of those came from non-conference matchups against AAC teams, and also carry a losing record in conference play.
Miami
Part 2 of the home stand will involve having to take down a University of Miami team that started off hot but now have cooled off. Clemson’s offense looks to take advantage of the 55th ranked team in the country for points allowed, but it could very well be a story of the defense capitalizing on the offense’s inability to take care of the ball. Miami gave up eight turnovers to Duke, and while it would be wild to imagine this Clemson offense not putting up big numbers, the defense may be an integral part in securing the win if points come slower than usual.
South Carolina
It’s only right that the last game of the season is looking like it will be the toughest, as of today. The Gamecocks are ranked #25th but are third in a very competitive SEC East division, only behind Tennessee and Georgia. Ever since the big loss to Georgia, they’ve gotten big win after big win against other SEC teams and have handed out blowouts in non-conference matchups – this may be the perfect segway to clinching a spot in the Playoff. To have their most competitive game be their last one, this squad can be ready when they more than likely go up against another SEC school in the postseason.
Clemson has shown that in a variety of game situations, they can still come out triumphant. The competition from now until the end of the regular season – and each being different from one another in style – will allow the Tigers to flex how versatile the entire team is. They deserve to be at SoFi Stadium in January, and next month’s games are the most important in getting them there.