ESPN analyst Pat McAfee says today’s game at Georgia Tech is a “must-win” contest for No. 12 Clemson.

“Another team that is in a must-win situation in my eyes is Clemson,” McAfee said Saturday morning during the latest edition of ESPN’s College GameDay.

Clemson, which entered this season ranked No. 4 in the preseason AP Poll, dropped its opener vs. LSU, 17-10, before rallying from a 16-0 deficit to defeat Troy, 27-16, last Saturday.

Unranked Georgia Tech is 2-0 with a season-opening 27-20 win at Colorado and a 59-12 victory vs. Gardner-Webb last Saturday.

“Listen, Clemson and Dabo Swinney obviously always are going to have high expectations coming into a season because of what he has been able to do,” McAfee said. “They lose to LSU. I think they have some injuries potentially there… They were down 16-3 to Troy at halftime. That is a team, Cade Klubnik, all they hype in the world. We assume their defensive line is always going to be NFL caliber, but Georgia Tech is no slouch. They have Haynes [King] and [Jamal] Haynes in the backfield. Both of them can move.”

Clemson is a 3.5-point favorite over Georgia Tech, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

According to ESPN analytics, the Tigers have a 44.9 percent chance to win the game, which is set to kick off at noon (ESPN) from the Yellow Jackets’ Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.

“So, this is a must win for Clemson,” McAfee said. “But it is a tough one, tough one.”

–Photo courtesy of Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images