With the beginning of fall camp at Clemson just around the corner, the start of the 2026 football season is inching ever so closer.
With that in mind, now is a good time to start diving into the opponents on the Tigers’ schedule.
2026 Schedule
- Sept. 5: at LSU
- Sept. 12: vs. Georgia Southern
- Sept. 19: vs. North Carolina
- Sept. 25 (Fri.): at Cal
- Oct. 3: vs. Miami
- Oct. 10: Open Date
- Oct. 17: vs. Charleston Southern
- Oct. 24: vs. Virginia Tech
- Oct. 31: at Florida State
- Nov. 7: at Syracuse
- Nov. 14: vs. Georgia Tech
- Nov. 20 (Fri.): at Duke
- Nov. 28: vs. South Carolina
Week 9: Florida State (5-7, 2-6 ACC)
Used to be, a spot in the ACC Championship was almost always on the line when Clemson and Florida State hooked up. Not so much anymore. With the Tigers having taken a step back and the Seminoles basically fallen off a cliff, this game just hasn’t had quite the same kind of buzz in recent years.
While Florida State leads the all-time series 21-17, Clemson has owned the rivalry of late, winning nine of the past ten, dating back to 2015. This year’s matchup takes place in Tallahassee, where the Tigers have not lost since 2014.
After the Seminoles knocked off Alabama in the season-opener last season, some thought Mike Norvell was on the verge of turning the program around. However, he enters the coming season with one of the hottest seats in the nation.
It’s hard to believe, but FSU wasn’t terrible on the offensive side of the ball last season. The ‘Noles led the league in total offense and were third in scoring offense. They were also the only team in the ACC to average more than 200 rushing yards per game.
With quarterback Ashton Daniels transferring in after stints at Auburn and Stanford, and Tim Harris Jr. being promoted to offensive coordinator, the offense still has the potential to be pretty good. There could also be an improvement in the passing offense, which ranked eighth in the conference a season ago. Daniels certainly isn’t the runner that Thomas Castellanos was, but he’s better in the passing game.
Daniels has playmakers at wideout. Duce Robinson led the team with 56 catches, averaging over 19 yards per reception, and Micahi Danzy is also back after averaging over 21 yards per catch. Lawayne McCoy did transfer to Louisville.
With Castellanos gone, the running backs will be leaned on more. Ousmane Kromah and Samuel Singleton both return, while veteran Quintrevion Wisner comes over from Texas. Wisner ran for over 1,000 yards and caught 44 passes in 2024, but last year he dealt with an injury and still ran for close to 600 yards and caught 22 passes.
Tight end Desirrio Riles was a big portal get, transferring in from East Carolina.
Where the Seminoles need to be better is up front along the offensive line. The pass protection was downright atrocious at times last year. Xavier Chaplin transferred in from Auburn to take over at left tackle, and Chimdia Nwaiwu comes over from Stephen F. Austin to take over on the right side. Andre Otto returns at guard.
On the defensive line, Florida State is banking on 326-pounder Kevin Wynn and Texas State transfer Jordan Sanders on the interior. The Desir brothers, Mandrell and Daryll, will need to step up in the pass rush game. Mandrell had 6.5 sacks last season.
At linebacker, Mikai Gbayor comes over from North Carolina and Chris Jones from Southern Miss. Both are seen as strong pickups.
The pass defense took a hit with safety Earl Little Jr. transferring to Ohio State, but there is still a lot of athleticism on the backend. Ma’Khi Jones comes over from Duke to help offset the loss at safety.
Many are expecting the Seminoles to be better in 2026, but not that much better. Most predictions have Florida State finishing middle of the pack in the ACC. That might not be enough to save Norvell’s job.
