Clemson and Florida State on Halloween night in Tallahassee.
A few years back, this game would generate a ton of hype. Not so much today.
The two once-proud programs basically limp into this one, with the Seminoles having dropped two straight before last week’s open date and the Tigers coming in fresh off a heartbreaking loss at home to Virginia Tech.
Florida State leads the all-time series 21-17, but Clemson has won nine of the past 10, including four straight at Doak Campbell Stadium.
5 Things to Watch For
1. Making More History: In the Tigers’ most recent visit to Tallahassee two years ago, Dabo Swinney broke Bobby Bowden’s conference record for the most overall wins as an ACC head coach in a 29-13 victory. This week, Swinney, who is 116-30 all-time in ACC regular season play, can tie Bowden’s conference record (117) for the most regular season wins in ACC play. A win would also push Swinney past Nick Saban and Bob Stoops (191 each) for sole possession of the second-most wins through the first 20 seasons of an FBS head coaching career, despite 2026 being only Swinney’s 19th season.
2. Can Clemson Score Enough: The struggles this offense is experiencing have been well-documented. Quarterback Tait Reynolds still only has one touchdown pass this season, as the freshman has had all sorts of trouble pushing the ball down the field.
Last week, after Reynolds and the rest of the offense stunk it up in the first half against the Hokies, the coaching staff made some tweaks, taking the read-option game away from the freshman in favor of more designed runs for the quarterback. That did result in some third-quarter success when it comes to moving the ball, but the unit still only managed to punch the ball into the end zone once.
If the Tigers are going to come away with a win on Saturday, they must find a way to put the ball in the end zone more often, and that starts with Reynolds. FSU ranks No. 124 nationally in pass defense, allowing 256.3 yards per contest, so the freshman should have some opportunities. The question is, can he take advantage of them?
3. Will Gid Respond: Much has been made about Swinney calling out sophomore running back Gideon Davidson twice this week. The first time was during his radio show on Monday, and then the head coach did it again during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
Look, this isn’t even close to the first time Swinney has singled out one of his star players, and it likely won’t be the last. If you’ve been following this program long enough, you probably already know those comments are probably more about motivation than anything else. And Swinney doesn’t tend to single out guys he doesn’t believe are prepared to handle it.
Despite Swinney’s effort to try and help Davidson elevate his game to another level, the sophomore back has been one of the rare bright spots for the offense this season. This team needs him and his 5.3 yards per carry.
4. Keep It Close: This might be one of the biggest keys. Since 2024, Mike Norvell’s teams are just 1-9 in games decided by less than one score, which includes the overtime loss to No. 1-ranked Miami last time out. With running back Ousmane Kromah out with an injury, Tom Allen’s defense has one less weapon to defend.
One thing history does tell us is that more often than not, Norvell teams tend to crack when the pressure is on.
5. Can’t Let Daniels Beat You: With Kromah out, the Seminoles might lean more heavily on the legs of quarterback Ashton Daniels, who is definitely a capable runner, and the Tigers have had a tendency to leave some running lanes open for opposing quarterbacks.
When you take out the sacks, Daniels has rushed for 459 yards, which is second on the team. For comparison’s sake, Davidson has rushed for 509 yards for Clemson.
That means the Tigers are going to have to be disciplined up front and not overpursue.