Path to Charlotte: Is there one?
By: Will Vandervort October 12, 2025

Thanks to Saturday’s win over Boston College, the Clemson Tigers jumped up to No. 7 in the ACC standings.

Of course, that is not anything to celebrate.

With the Tigers taking care of business the last two weeks against the ACC’s two worse teams in North Carolina and Boston College, is there a path for the Tigers to make their way to Charlotte and play for an ACC Championship?

Right now, it is not a path as much as it is a trail.

Saturday’s result moved Clemson to 3-3 overall and more importantly to 2-2 in the ACC. So, what needs to happen for the Tigers to have any shot to get to Charlotte and play for an ACC Championship?

Chaos.

And in the ACC, that can happen.

ACC Standings

After Saturday’s results, Georgia Tech, Virginia and Duke currently stand in first place in the standings with 3-0 records inside the conference. How weird does that sound?

SMU is 2-0 in the standings, while second-ranked Miami is 1-0 in league play at the moment. Pittsburgh is 2-1, followed by the Tigers at 2-2.

Louisville is 1-1, as is California. Wake Forest, NC State, Virginia Tech, Syracuse and Stanford are all 1-2 in league play. North Carolina is 0-1, while Florida State is 0-3 and Boston College brings up the rear at 0-4.

 Teams in contention

Right now, it is easier to tell you who is not in contention because currently only two teams appear to be out – Boston College and Florida State. With four and three conference losses, it is not likely either of those teams will have a legit path to Charlotte.

Though North Carolina is technically in contention still, I think we all know the Tar Heels are not going to the title game, unless Tom Brady is walking through those doors in Chape Hill, N.C.

With that said, teams from Pitt to Stanford are technically in contention. Though, personally, I can say, I do not believe Cal, Wake Forest, NC State, Virginia Tech, Syracuse or Stanford have a shot.

Remaining ACC schedule for contenders

Georgia Tech: at Duke; vs. Syracuse; at NC State; at BC; vs. Pitt

Virginia: at UNC; at Cal; vs. Wake; at Duke

Duke: vs. Georgia Tech; at Clemson; vs. Virginia; at UNC; vs. Wake

SMU: at Clemson; at Wake; vs. Miami; at BC; vs. Louisville; at Cal

Miami: vs. Louisville; vs. Stanford; at SMU; vs. Syracuse; vs. NC State; at Virginia Tech; at Pitt

Pitt: at Syracuse; vs. NC State; at Stanford; at Georgia Tech; vs. Miami

Clemson: vs. SMU; vs. Duke; vs. FSU; at Louisville

Louisville: at Miami; vs. BC; at Virginia Tech; vs. Cal; vs. Clemson; at SMU

Note: Bold indicates possible losses.

Where is Clemson’s trail?

The first step is Clemson needs to win out. One loss, and all hope is gone. So, the Tigers need to take care of business and then go from there. However, that will not be easy because Clemson has the hardest remaining schedule of any team in contention, as seen above.

Obviously, the Tigers need all the undefeated teams to slip at least twice, which is a hard ask, especially considering how well Miami is playing and how weak Georgia Tech’s and Virginia’s schedules are.

The good news is Clemson plays SMU, Duke and Louisville. If the Tigers win those games, then each of those teams have one of the losses the Tigers need. It would give Louisville at least two losses, then the Tigers need SMU and Duke to slip up somewhere else.

However, when looking at its schedule, it is hard for me to see Virginia losing two games, which means the Cavaliers have the best shot, in my opinion, to get to Charlotte and play for an ACC Championship.

Clemson needs Duke to beat Georgia Tech next week and Georgia Tech lose to Pitt to close its regular season. Remember, Clemson needs multiple teams to tie for second place with two losses to have any chance.

Then the Tigers, obviously, have to beat Duke and have the Blue Devils lose to Virginia or someone else, but the Cavaliers are the best chance for that loss in this scenario.

Again, Clemson needs to beat SMU and then have the Mustangs either lose to Miami or Louisville, but for Clemson’s sake, you want it to be a loss to Louisville.

The Tigers need Miami to lose to SMU and Pitt, while they need Pitt to lose to someone not named Georgia Tech or Miami, which is going to be a hard sell when you see the other teams the Panthers are playing.

Obviously, if the Tigers beat Louisville, then the Cardinals have their second loss.

In summary

Clemson’s path to the ACC Championship needs to be littered with chaos, and usually in the ACC, that happens.