Florida State (4-4, 1-4) travels to Memorial Stadium to take on the Clemson Tigers (3-5, 2-4) Saturday at 7:30 PM EST on ACC Network. The two ACC powers have won 13 of the last 14 conference championships but find themselves fighting for bowl eligibility after underwhelming seasons. The Seminoles have lost 8 of the last 9 matchups in this series but look to take advantage of a Clemson team that has fallen short of its preseason expectations.
CLEMSON
Clemson enters this matchup on a two-game losing streak, most recently suffering a 46-45 loss to Duke following a controversial pass interference call that helped the Blue Devils secure the lead and eventual victory. The Tigers are 0-4 at home this season against Power Four opponents and will look to snap that skid in their final home matchup against a Power Four team.
Clemson can find success in this matchup in a few ways. The Tigers feature one of the most talented receiving corps Florida State will face all season, and could exploit a secondary that has shown vulnerability at times this year. Clemson also boasts the nation's 18th-ranked run defense, which could contain a Florida State rushing attack that heavily fuels the Seminole offense. The Tigers will need to throw the ball effectively and establish a defensive rhythm to give themselves a chance in this one.
FLORIDA STATE
Florida State is coming off a dominant 42-7 beat down over Wake Forest and will look to keep the offensive momentum rolling this weekend. The Seminoles currently rank 7th nationally in scoring offense and lead the country in total yardage per game. The high-powered Florida State offense has an opportunity to exploit several vulnerabilities in Clemson's defense, which currently ranks 10th in the ACC, and has allowed 34 or more points in every home game against an ACC opponent this season.
The Seminoles will aim to establish the run game early, utilizing their deep backfield that features Samuel Singleton Jr., Ousmane Kromah, and Gavin Sawchuk. In the passing game, they'll utilize run fakes to stretch the ball down the field to playmakers like Duce Robinson and Micahi Danzy. An effective ground game will likely be the deciding factor in this matchup. In Florida State's two poorest rushing performances of the season against Miami and Stanford, the Seminoles recorded their lowest offensive outputs of the year.
THOUGHTS
Last week, the Florida State players rallied around head coach Mike Norvell amid rumors of his potential dismissal. Expect a similar response this week, as the Seminoles look poised to find continued success on offense against a defense that has struggled in recent weeks. Tony White's defense has shown noticeable improvement in recent weeks, and another strong outing should be enough for Florida State to edge out a road victory.