It’s Game Day at Carter-Finley Stadium where No. 5 Clemson battles NC State as the Tigers look to earn their 25th straight win today.

Clemson looks to take another step towards the College Football Playoff.

Location: Carter Finley Stadium

Kickoff:  7:30 PM

Television:  ABC

Announcers:  Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Maria Taylor

2019 Record: Clemson  9-0,  NC State 4-4

ACC Record: Clemson 6-0 NC State 1-3

Series History: Clemson leads 58-28-1

Last Meeting:  Clemson won 41-7 on October 20, 2018

CLEMSON PREPARES FOR PRIMETIME MATCHUP WITH NC STATE

Clemson will attempt to secure its 10th win of the 2019 season and potentially a division title on Saturday when the team faces NC State in prime time on Nov. 9. Kickoff at Carter-Finley Stadium is scheduled for 7:30
p.m. ET.

Depending on the results of an earlier contest, the game could present an opportunity for Clemson to clinch a berth in the ACC Championship Game. A Clemson victory preceded by a Wake Forest loss to Virginia Tech would clinch the ACC Atlantic crown for Clemson for the fifth consecutive season.

Clemson enters this week as the lone 9-0 team in the FBS and is in search of its ninth consecutive 10-win season dating to 2011. A ninth-straight 10-win season would tie Clemson with the 2001-09 Texas Longhorns for the third-longest streak of 10-win seasons in FBS history.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEK

– Clemson attempting to open a season 10-0 for the fifth time in program history, joining 10-0 starts in 1948, 1981, 2015 and 2018. Including ties, it would be Clemson’s sixth undefeated start through 10 games including a 9-0-1 season in 1950.
– Clemson attempting to win the first 10 games of a season for the third time under Head Coach Dabo Swinney (2015 and 2018). Swinney is already the first coach in Clemson history to lead the school to multiple 10-0 starts,
as legendary coaches Frank Howard and Danny Ford only accomplished the feat once each, in 1948 and 1981, respectively.
– Clemson attempting to win 10 games for a school record ninth consecutive season. With its 10th win of the season, Clemson would match Texas (2001-09) for the third-longest streak of 10-win seasons in FBS history.
– Clemson, with a victory and a Wake Forest loss, clinching the ACC Atlantic Division to become the first ACC team to win five consecutive division titles.
– Clemson, with a victory and a Wake Forest loss, earning a berth in the ACC Championship Game for the seventh time, passing Virginia Tech (six) for the most ACC Championship Game appearances in either division.
– Clemson, with a victory and a Wake Forest loss, earning its eighth overall division title, including a co-championship in 2012 in which the Tigers did not appear in the ACC Championship Game.
– The 2019 Clemson seniors attempting to win their 51st game in the last four years to pass the 2017 senior class for sole possession of the second-most career wins in school history.

SERIES HISTORY VS. NC STATE

Overall, Clemson has a 58-28-1 lead in the all-time series against NC State, including a 21-16 lead in road games at NC State. Clemson has won the last seven games in the series and 14 of the last 15.

With the Clemson road win in the teams’ most recent meeting in Raleigh in 2017, the Tigers are 17-9 all-time in games played in Carter-Finley Stadium, including victories in each of their last three trips to NC State.

The series dates to 1899 when Clemson was victorious, 24-0, in a game played in Rock Hill, S.C. That was just the fourth year of Clemson football and the 16th game in the school’s history.

Clemson will attempt to earn its eighth consecutive victory against NC State to record the longest winning streak by either side in the all-time series. Prior to the current seven-game streak, Clemson’s longest winning streak in the series was seven games, set in 2004-10.

NC State’s longest winning streak in the series is six from 1971-76.

NC State was Clemson’s nemesis from 1986-88. The Tigers won the ACC Championship each year under Danny Ford, but never beat the Pack in the process, losing all three seasons. It was the only loss for Clemson in the ACC
in each of those years.

The 2012 game was the highest-scoring in the history of the series and was in fact Clemson’s highest scoring game in ACC play in terms of combined points (110). The Tigers won, 62-48, behind eight touchdowns (five passing
and three rushing) by Tajh Boyd. That established an ACC record for touchdown responsibility in a game.

The two teams played another high scoring game in 2015 in Raleigh. The Tigers were victorious behind Deshaun Watson, 56-41, as Jacoby Brissett was the NC State quarterback and thus the game was a battle of future AFC South divisional foes at the next level.

HIGH-SCORING HISTORY

Clemson and NC State have played a number of high scoring games in recent years. In the history of Clemson football, Clemson has been involved in a game where at least 97 points were scored just seven times, but two of them have been Clemson vs. NC State games within the last seven years.

Clemson defeated the Pack, 62-48, on Nov. 17, 2012 at Clemson, and the 110 combined points in that game rank second in Clemson history and the most since 1901.

In 2015, the two teams combined for 97 points in a 56-41 Clemson win. That is tied for the sixth-highest scoring game in Clemson history.

Clemson is 11-1 all-time in games with 90 combined points, including a 2-0 mark against NC State in such contests.

FOUR LEAGUE TITLES IN A ROW

Clemson has won four straight ACC championships, joining Oklahoma as one of just two Power Five Conference schools to have an active streak of four consecutive conference championships.

From 2015-18, Clemson became the first ACC school to win four outright titles in a row. Florida State was a champion or co-champion nine years in a row from 1992-00, but never won more than three outright in a row.

Clemson’s victory in the 2018 ACC Championship Game made Clemson only the second Power Five Conference school since the inception of league
championship games in 1992 to win four straight conference championship games, joining the Florida Gators, who won four straight SEC Championship
Games in a row from 1993-96. Clemson can become the first school to win five straight with a victory in the 2019 ACC Championship Game.

WHEN IN DOUBT, CLEMSON RESPONDS

Prior to maintaining status quo at No. 4 following a 59-7 win against Boston College, Clemson had dropped in the AP Poll following each of its three previous victories against North Carolina, Florida State and Louisville. In
Head Coach Dabo Swinney’s tenure, the Tigers have routinely responded well following dips in the AP rankings.

Under Swinney, Clemson is 24-4 (and 3-0 in 2019) in games in which it enters ranked lower in the AP Poll than it did in its previous contest. This includes the 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 season openers in which Clemson
opened the season lower than its ranking from the final game of the previous campaign. Including most recently against Boston College on Oct. 26, Clemson has won its last 16 games when entering ranked lower in the AP Poll than in its previous game.

TCI Predictions 

Robert – Clemson 48, NC State 20

Will – Clemson 45, NC State 13

Gavin – Clemson 52, NC State 14

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The Clemson Insider will get a portion of all sales so get ready for another championship season by ordering your Clemson gear today and help support TCI.