We never would have guessed that Clemson would have been near the bottom of the ACC before the 2025 season started. We wouldn’t have guessed that FSU would dominate Alabama before losing four consecutive ACC games, either.
Some national media are joking about it, but the two teams that sued the ACC for more money and won will now face off on the ACC Network, not a major platform like ESPN in primetime.
FSU and Clemson have already benefitted from playing earlier games in primetime, so the lawsuit has already paid off in spades. However, it’s still crazy to think this game means nothing regarding the ACC standings, and it’s all about pride at this point.
FSU ended a year-long ACC drought by demolishing Wake Forest on Saturday night, just hours after Clemson lost at home to the Duke Blue Devils. Clemson is (3-5, 2-4 ACC), and FSU is (4-4, 1-4 ACC), and oddsmakers have Clemson as a slight betting favorite at home for a night game over the Noles.
Clemson opened at -2.5, and the over/under is 56.5. Vegas expects a high-scoring game, as both offenses can score points, and both defenses can give it up at times.
Clemson was a -14.5 betting favorite on the road in Doak Campbell Stadium a year ago. Clemson went on to win 29-13. The Tigers return much of what they had last year, and FSU clearly upgraded its roster via the transfer portal and some young guys filling in important roles.
This is an interesting game because the Clemson players looked like they might have checked out on Dabo Swinney last week. However, the same can be said for FSU when they traveled to Stanford two weeks ago. They showed up in a big way against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons though.
It's hard to gauge both teams and likely why it's essentially a toss-up at this point with oddsmakers.