With only six weeks left of the regular season, Clemson Football is on track to improving their record—but not without a challenge.
Clemson remains unranked as of Oct. 17, despite their current record of 4-2 following a win against Syracuse.
Clemson’s next stop on the road is at Pittsburgh, where the Panthers will be taking on the Tigers in a most-likely low scoring game. College Football analyst David Pollack described Clemson as “not offensively going to scare anybody.”
Pollack also noted that he does not see Clemson defeating Pittsburgh. However, Pittsburgh is ranked No. 23 overall, so the game should be a tense one and could put the Tigers back in the ranking with a win.
Following Clemson’s two game road trip, the Tigers return home on Oct. 30 against Florida State, a team that has been underwhelming this season with a 2-4 record. This matchup is a predicted win, as with Louisville the week after. Clemson is ranked higher than both of these teams in the ACC Atlantic.
Clemson’s win streak is predicted to continue the following week with a home game against University of Connecticut, who won its first game of the season on Oct. 16.
Clemson’s biggest threat will be Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons are ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll and first in the ACC. They’re strong on both sides of the ball, with Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman having 1,615 passing yards compared to Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei’s 974.
It is no question that Clemson continues to struggle offensively. The Tigers hold only an average of 20.5 points per game, with 123 total points. Wake Forest scores 38.7 points per game, and a has a total of 232 points. This would be an unfortunate loss for the Tigers.
The final regular season game takes place over Thanksgiving weekend on Nov. 27 against rival school, the University of South Carolina. The Tigers have won the last six matchups against the Gamecocks.
Clemson should end up with a win for their final regular season game, as the Gamecocks remain unranked and have not had success against the Tigers for some time.
In the second half of the season, Clemson’s performance will most likely not be changing by much. Clemson has yet to prove haters wrong as they continue to provide a lackluster offense. Continuous low scoring games is one of the reasons that Clemson is out of the AP Poll ranking, and Uiagalelei admitted that despite his best game being against Syracuse, “There’s still a lot I know I can get better at.”
The defensive line is what has been guaranteeing wins for the Tigers, and with no new injuries, it should remain intact.
“The defense is the strength of our team right now until our offense grows up a little bit and starts playing a little cleaner,” said Head Coach Dabo Swinney.
With easier matchups coming up in the next few weeks, Clemson has room to improve before its battle against Wake Forest. The Tigers’ win streak should continue for the next four games, and they should finish with a win in the final game against the University of South Carolina. Fortunately, this could push the Tigers into a bowl appearance.
The predicted final record this season is 9-3, but their performance standards are expected to remain at their current levels.
