CHARLOTTE – In the last 15 summers, if you predicted that Clemson or Florida State would win the ACC football Championship at the end of the season, you would have an 87 percent chance of being correct. 

The Tigers and Seminoles, rivals divided by 350 miles and brought together by a fiery fight for in-conference dominance, have won 13 of the last 15 ACC Championships, with Pittsburgh and Duke making up the other two spots.. 

Clemson leads all ACC members with 22 conference titles and nine under Dabo Swinney, while Florida State is not far behind with 16 wins, with 12 coming under the legendary head coach Bobby Bowden.

The rivalry has brought moments like the “Puntrooskie” game in 1988, in which the Seminoles executed a hidden-ball trick play on fourth-and-four at their own 16 for a 78-yard run, setting up a game-winning field goal.

Arguably the most exciting installment of the clash for Clemson fans came in 2003, when then-head coach Tommy Bowden got his first victory against his father, Bobby, and the third-ranked Seminoles. The victory came after being embarrassed at Wake Forest the week before.

Since that moment, the Tigers have won 15 of the last 22 meetings. Since 2015, Clemson has only lost once to the Seminoles, a 31-24 overtime defeat at Memorial Stadium in 2023. That is nine wins in the last 10 meetings.

At the time of that loss, Florida State was ranked No. 4 in the country while the Tigers were unranked. Still, the rivalry provided electricity, and a game that was close until the bitter end.

In the last two years, however, the rivalry’s punch has been subdued by poor play from one or both teams.

In 2024, with Clemson ranked in the top 10, it should have been one of the best atmospheres of the year at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla., as Clemson was supposed play against its former quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei. However, Uiagalelei suffered a broken finger and did not play.

Additionally, at the time, Florida State held a 1-4 record and finished the season 2-10– not exactly inviting fans to cheer loudly.  Clemson won that game 29-13. 

The next season, the Tigers won 24-10 at Memorial Stadium, but it was Clemson’s turn not to bring an electric atmosphere, as the team held a 3-5 record and was coming off of consecutive ACC losses. Florida State, similarly, held a 4-4 record ahead of the game.

FSU defensive back Ja’Bril Rawls was a part of that 2023 overtime game, and also the two lesser matchups. At the ACC Kickoff in the Hilton Charlotte Uptown on Wednesday, Rawls commented on the rivalry the last two years.

“Last year, I didn’t really feel like it was a rivalry as it was in 2023,” Rawls said. “The atmosphere was different and everything, so it was like two different atmospheres and it felt like it kind of died down because the situation we both were in last year. It can always spark back up, with both teams in a great position.”

This season, both the Seminoles and Tigers are looking to get in a better position, and have made changes to head in that direction. Clemson rehired offensive coordinator Chad Morris, while the Seminoles also promoted a new offensive leader in Tim Harris Jr.

Additionally, both teams will have new quarterbacks, and several transfer portal players entering 2026.

The next installment of the once-heated rivalry will be held in Doak Campbell Stadium on Oct. 31. As a Halloween game, the matchup could provide a haunting atmosphere, the teams just have to do their part leading up to that point.