The No. 4 Seminoles look to snap their seven-game losing streak to Clemson
Florida State vs. Clemson has continued to rise up in the hierarchy of college football rivalries over the last decade. Now, the No. 4 Seminoles and Tigers are set to clash again on Saturday with both bragging rights and an inside track to the ACC Championship Game on the line. Since 2005, this rivalry has propelled the winner to conference championship contention. The two teams have combined for 13 ACC title game appearances and 11 ACC titles over the last 14 years.
Now as the ACC enters its new division-less format, Clemson and Florida State carry the potential to play not just on Saturday, but again at the end of the season in the ACC Championship Game.
Most times when a top five team takes on an unranked foe, the point spread balloons into the double digits going into the game. However, Clemson has held a significant advantage in the rivalry over the last decade, winning seven straight games against Florida State including last year’s 34-28 win in Tallahassee, Florida. That, combined with a significant home-field advantage for the Tigers, has Florida State currently sitting as a narrow 2-point favorite.
How to watch Florida State vs. Clemson live
Date: Saturday, Sept. 23 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Memorial Stadium — Clemson, South Carolina
TV: ABC | Live Stream: fuboTV – (Start Your Free Trial)
How can I watch the Florida State vs. Clemson?
The following channels will be broadcasting the game live in the US: ABC
Watch Florida State vs. Clemson live stream on FuboTV (free trial available)
Florida State vs. Clemson: Need to know
Florida State’s offense is streaking: With quarterback Jordan Travis leading the way, the Seminoles have scored at least 30 points in nine straight games. That’s the longest active streak in the ACC, the second-longest active streak in the country and the program’s longest stretch since the 2013 national championship season. The combination of Mike Norvell’s system, Travis’ mastery of said system and the addition of key transfer portal skill players like wide receiver Keon Coleman have this offense looking like a group that could carry the team to a national title.
Tigers roaring back from Labor Day disappointment: To say the Tigers started the season slow would be an understatement. Clemson dropped its opener 28-7 to Duke and found itself in a 14-14 tie with FCS Charleston Southern in Week 2 before seemingly flipping a switch. Since then, we’ve seen a product far closer to the Clemson standard. Since the start of the second quarter of the Charleston Southern game, the Tigers have outscored the competition 100-17 with 14 of those points coming in garbage time of a blowout win against FAU.
56 years of rubbing the rock: Saturday will mark 56 years to the day that Clemson began rubbing Howard’s Rock before games. The anniversary is particularly notable as it coincides with a chance for Dabo Swinney to tie Frank Howard with 100 career conference wins at Clemson. With a win, Swinney would also join Bobby Bowden as the only coaches in ACC history with 100 regular-season conference wins.
Florida State vs. Clemson prediction, picks
Odds via SportsLine consensus
A Clemson win would not surprise, but ultimately I think Florida State has more explosive playmakers. Coleman has not been as dominant since his breakout against LSU, but I think we see him as a difference-maker in a game where just two or three big plays could end up being the difference. While Cade Klubnik and the Tigers offense have had more success as of late, there’s more confidence in Travis and the Seminoles. Pick: Florida State -2