CLEMSON – It is everybody’s favorite weekend of college football, rivalry week. The Clemson Insider takes a deep dive into all of the big-time rivalry matchups set to take place this weekend.
The Clemson Tigers are now hanging on by the fate of the Syracuse Orange to defeat the Miami Hurricanes to advance to next week’s ACC Championship Game. SMU is looking to finish the season strong and undefeated in conference play.
Friday
Stanford (3-8) vs. San Jose St (6-5), 4 p.m., CBS
Latest Line: SJSU -3
Notes: The Cardinal Stanford concluded ACC play last Saturday, November 23, with the 127th Big Game at California. With the 24-21 loss to the Golden Bears, Stanford finished its first season of ACC action with a 2-6 record. In the loss at California, Justin Lamson ran for two touchdowns in the first quarter. With seven touchdowns on the season, Lamson set the Stanford quarterback single-season rushing touchdown record.
Georgia Tech (7-4) vs. No. 7 Georgia (9-2), 7:30 p.m., ABC
Latest Line: UGA -19.5
Notes: The Yellow Jackets are facing their third top-10 opponent of the season this week with a road game at Georgia. Tech is 2-0 in its previous two matchups against top-10 teams — a 24-21 win over then-No. 10-ranked Florida State in the season opener in Dublin, Ireland, on August 24 and a 28-23 triumph over then-No. 4 Miami on November 9. The Jackets are the only unranked squad that has defeated two top-10 opponents this season.
Saturday
No. 15 South Carolina (8-3) vs. No. 12 Clemson (9-2), Noon, ESPN
Latest Line: CLEM -2.5
Notes: The Tigers finished the conference season at 7-1, making them one of only six Power 4 conference teams with seven or more conference wins this season. The Tigers have done it with a balanced offensive attack, as Clemson’s offense is the only team ranked in the top 26 nationally in both passing (274.6 ypg) and rushing (195.3 ypg) offense and is the only program in the country averaging both 195 or more rushing yards and 270 or more passing yards per game this year.
Louisville (7-4) vs. Kentucky (4-7), Noon, SEC Network
Latest Line: LOU -4
Notes: Freshman running back Isaac Brown is 104 yards short of helping the Cardinals have a 1,000-yard rusher, a 1,000-yard receiver and a 3,000-yard passer in the same season for only the third time in school history, and the first time since 1999. Ja’Corey Brooks has recorded 1,013 receiving yards and Tyler Shough has thrown for 3,067 yards thus far this season.
Duke (8-3, 4-3 ACC) vs. Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5 ACC), Noon, ACC Network
Latest Line: DUKE -4
Notes: The Blue Devils’ defense has proven to be one of the best in the country at takeaways, ranking second overall with 25 on the season. In their last five games, the Blue Devil defense has forced 16 turnovers. The Wake Forest duo of Demond Claiborne and Taylor Morin have now both gone over 1,000 all-purpose yards this season. The tandem’s 2,485 combined all-purpose yards are the most by any Wake Forest duo since 2018.
Pittsburgh (7-4, 3-4 ACC) vs. Boston College (6-5, 3-4 ACC), 3 p.m., The CW Network
Latest Line: BC -5.5
Notes: The Eagles are coming off a big win over North Carolina at Alumni Stadium last Saturday (November 23). The win earned BC bowl eligibility for the second consecutive season and the eighth time in the last nine years. The Panthers defense has been led this season by linebacker Kyle Louis. Louis ranks sixth nationally with an average of 1.4 tackles-for-loss per game. Louis has 15.5 total tackles-for-loss, which ranks first among FBS linebackers.
No. 6 Miami (10-1, 6-1 ACC) vs. Syracuse (8-3, 4-3 ACC), 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Latest Line: MIA -11
Notes: The Hurricanes will be playing for a spot in the ACC Football Championship Game on Saturday at Syracuse. Miami is one of only eight Power 4 teams with one loss or less this season and one of only 13 teams with seven wins over Power 4 teams. Transfer quarterback Kyle McCord is now Syracuse’s single-season leader in passing yards with 3,946 so far this year. He broke the previous record of 3,749 yards set by Ryan Nassib in 2012. In the win over UConn last week, McCord completed 37-of-47 passes for a career-high 470 yards against the Huskies. The 470 yards rank second on Syracuse’s single-game record list and are the third-highest single-game total by an FBS quarterback this season.
California (6-5, 2-5 ACC) vs. No. 9 SMU (10-1, 7-0 ACC), 3:30 p.m., ESPN2
Latest Line: SMU -13.5
Notes: The Golden Bears’ defense continues to be the difference maker this season. Cal has the ACC’s top scoring defense (20.7 ppg) allowing 12.1 points per game fewer than the 32.8 it gave up in 2023, while also leading the conference in turnover margin (+13, +1.18 per game). The Mustangs have proven they are a top-8 team this season, having already clinched a spot in the ACC Football Championship Game on Saturday, December 7. SMU is one of only eight Power 4 teams with one loss or less this season and one of only three teams with eight wins over Power 4 teams.
NC State (5-6, 2-5 ACC) vs. North Carolina (6-5, 3-4 ACC), 3:30 p.m., ACC Network
Latest Line: UNC -3
Notes: With a 5-6 record, the Wolfpack will be playing for bowl eligibility this week as they travel down the road to take on North Carolina. NC State has qualified for bowls in nine of the past 10 seasons, which is tied as the second-best mark in the ACC in that time frame with Miami. A Doak Walker Award finalist, Omarion Hampton needs just 25 rushing yards to become the fourth ACC player in the last 20 years to have back-to-back 1,500-yard rushing seasons.
Florida (6-5) vs. Florida State (2-9), 7 p.m., ESPN2
Latest Line: FLA -14.5
Notes: True freshman quarterback Luke Kromenhoek was 13-for-20 for 209 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start against Charleston Southern. His three passing touchdowns are the most for a true freshman in his first career start in FSU history. Kromenhoek’s 71-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Khi Douglas was the second-longest pass for a true freshman in FSU history, FSU’s longest offensive play of the year and Douglas’ longest career catch.
Virginia (5-6, 3-4 ACC) vs. Virginia Tech (5-6, 3-4 ACC), 8 p.m., ACC Network
Latest Line: VT -7
Notes: A win for the Cavaliers would make them bowl-eligible for the first time under head coach Tony Elliott and the first time since 2021. Virginia is looking to snap an 11-game road losing skid at Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers’ last win at Lane Stadium was in 1998, a 36-32 comeback that saw UVA score the game-winning touchdown with 2:01 remaining on a 47-yard pass from Aaron Brooks to Ahmad Hawkins. With a win at home against Virginia on Saturday, the Hokies would make a bowl game in consecutive seasons. It would be the first time Virginia Tech will play in the postseason in consecutive years since 2018-19.