ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy has made his prediction for the outcome of Saturday’s game between Clemson and Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla.

The matchup is set to kick off at 7 p.m. on ACC Network, with the Seminoles currently a 6.5-point favorite.

Clemson enters the contest 4-3 overall and 2-2 in ACC play, while Florida State is 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the conference.

McElroy picked the Noles to win by four points.

“We’ll say that Clemson covers the number. I think the game’s going to be low scoring. I think Florida State wins this game 26-22,” McElroy said.

“Clemson will kick their way into a cover, and [Clemson kicker Nolan] Hauser might get the game ball, but can they finish in the end zone? That’s a legitimate question.”

McElroy went through what he sees as a strength and weakness of each team.

“Clemson’s pass protection – weakness,” he said. “21 sacks allowed this year. That’s among the most in the FBS. The line can’t hold up long enough for anything except for the quick throw right now. Florida State’s pass rush is a strength. They have 19 sacks this year, led by [edge rusher Rylan] Kennedy’s six, because it gets after the quarterback about as often as any front in the entire FBS. They do a really good job along the front.

“Florida State’s pass protection is a weakness. They’ve allowed 18 sacks. That’s in the bottom third of the FBS. Their line struggles to hold up long enough for some of those deep shots, but they’re going to take them anyways. And Clemson’s pass rush is a strength. They have 20 sacks. That’s top 20. They’ll bring pressure from everywhere.”

McElroy also laid out his biggest questions entering the game, starting with question No. 1, who wins the race between Clemson’s quick throws and the aforementioned Florida State edge rusher, Rylan Kennedy?

“Clemson’s short passing game is aimed right at the softest part of Florida State’s defense, so it’s a little bit of a race between the throw and the pass rush,” McElroy said. “If Florida State wins it on early downs, Clemson’s drive ends before their kicker Nolan Hauser ever even gets involved.”

McElroy’s other questions for the matchup are: Can Clemson tackle FSU quarterback Ashton Daniels, and how many times does Hauser trot onto the field?

“Clemson scores touchdowns on just 39% of their red zone trips, and Hauser has made 18 field goals, tied with the most in the FBS,” McElroy said. “But as a head coach, Swinney is 6-21 when his team scores less than 17 points.”

Clemson is looking to extend its current road winning streak at Doak Campbell Stadium to five games.

The Tigers are 9-1 in their last 10 games overall against the Seminoles and have won the last two meetings. Florida State leads the all-time series, 21-17.

ESPN Analytics give FSU a 71.9% chance to win Saturday’s game.

You can hear McElroy’s full preview of the matchup beginning at the 1:13:24 mark of the following video: