Florida State at Clemson
Where: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, S.C.
When: 7 p.m. ET
TV: ACC Network
Weather: 54 degrees, 25% rain chance
Favorite: Clemson by 1.5 points
Coaches: Mike Norvell is 37-31 at FSU and 75-46 overall; Dabo Swinney is 183-52 at Clemson and overall
Quick slant: FSU has only won at Clemson three times since 2001 (also 2013 and 2023). Earl Little Jr. has an interception in three straight games. Norvell is 13-7 at FSU in November.
About FSU (4-4, 1-4 ACC): The Seminoles are No. 1 in the FBS in total offense (510.5 points), a massive improvement from No. 132 in 2024. DE James Williams and WR Jayvan Boggs (of Cocoa) are among those questionable on FSU’s availability report. The Seminoles have surpassed 400 offe…
Florida State at Clemson
Where: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, S.C.
When: 7 p.m. ET
TV: ACC Network
Weather: 54 degrees, 25% rain chance
Favorite: Clemson by 1.5 points
Coaches: Mike Norvell is 37-31 at FSU and 75-46 overall; Dabo Swinney is 183-52 at Clemson and overall
Quick slant: FSU has only won at Clemson three times since 2001 (also 2013 and 2023). Earl Little Jr. has an interception in three straight games. Norvell is 13-7 at FSU in November.
About FSU (4-4, 1-4 ACC): The Seminoles are No. 1 in the FBS in total offense (510.5 points), a massive improvement from No. 132 in 2024. DE James Williams and WR Jayvan Boggs (of Cocoa) are among those questionable on FSU’s availability report. The Seminoles have surpassed 400 offensive yards in seven straight games, which is the longest since FSU did so in nine straight games in 2022-23.
About Clemson (3-5, 2-4): The Tigers are 72-9 at home in the CFP Era (since 2014). QB Cade Klubnik is 5 yards shy of 10,000 career offensive yards and would join quarterbacks Tajh Boyd (13,069), Deshaun Watson (12,094) and Trevor Lawrence (11,041) in Clemson’s 10,000-yard club. Offensive tackle Blake Miller will start his 50th career game on Saturday.
Three things to watch
1. Start fast, stay steady: FSU has struggled with either penalties or turnovers in road losses at Virginia and Stanford. The Seminoles need to build early drives that end in points, which means they must limit the mental mistakes that come from an intense crowd at Death Valley. FSU can expect to hit some big plays, especially against what has been a porous Clemson secondary. Mixing in big plays with longer, sustained drives will help the Seminoles.
2. How will FSU defend middle of field?: FSU’s linebackers struggle in coverage, but they also can’t be expected to cover Clemson’s fast receivers. Will the Seminoles be able to limit the yards after the catch? Can Little grab another interception or deliver some big hits over the middle? FSU’s top two corners, Jerry Wilson and Ja’Bril Rawls, will be tested throughout the game.
3. Specialists could be pivotal: Mac Chiumento has been consistently good for FSU. He’s averaged 44.8 yards per punt and pinned opponents inside their own 20 on 9 of 19 punts. His net punting average is a respectable 42.4. FSU’s Jake Weinberg and Clemson’s Nolan Hauser have each made 8 of 10 field-goal attempts. Field goals and field position could be key storylines.