The race to the ACC Championship continues for Clemson and other top teams in the conference. The Tigers kept themselves in it with a win over Virginia Tech last week and had some help from Miami losing to Georgia Tech. Now, Clemson and Miami are tied for second place in the ACC with one conference loss each. The top five teams in the conference still have a chance to fight for the top two slots though.
That is what makes this matchup against Pittsburgh very important for the Tigers. Pitt is currently on the outside looking in at fifth in the conference after suffering two straight losses. A win for the Panthers can put them back in the race while most likely eliminating Clemson. A loss for the Panthers though would eliminate them and give the Tigers a better chance to make it to Charlotte.
Diving into the Intense ACC Race
Entering the final stretch of the regular season, the ACC Championship race remains very close. This is not much of a surprise as most people who cover the conference assumed it would be a tight race to Charlotte. What did come as a shock were some of the teams involved in the race.
Miami and Clemson were the two teams picked most to win the conference. The rise of Pittsburgh and SMU was unexpected though. Louisville was a team many people knew could squeeze themselves back into the picture but were not completely sold. Even if the Cardinals are also on the outside looking in at the moment, they are in a position to cause some chaos to end the season as well.
As mentioned, the Tigers and Panthers are second and fifth in the ACC standings respectively. The loser of this matchup is effectively eliminated from the race. If Pitt loses that would be its third conference loss. A Clemson loss would be just its second in the conference, but it also would have head-to-head losses against Pitt and Louisville.
If the Panthers win the game their chances in the race increase exponentially as they head into a matchup with Louisville next weekend. Two straight wins would have Pitt heading into the last week of the regular season one game behind or tied with Miami. For the Tigers, this is their last regular season ACC game of 2024. If they get the win this weekend, they will finish conference play with a 7-1 record tying Miami for second place. Clemson will end the season playing the Citadel then rival South Carolina in a matchup that could have playoff implications.
Pitt’s Climb Back
In 2021 Pittsburgh won the ACC Championship. Just two years later the Panthers finished the 2023 season 3-9 winning just two conference games. After such a poor showing last season, there were no high expectations for Pitt coming into 2024. That is why it was a surprise to much of the college football world to see the Panthers start 7-0. Even though their schedule hasn’t been the toughest, they still got a few good wins for a team that only won three games a year ago.
Pitt got a one-point win against Cincinnati in week two of the season. Following that was a 34-38 win against West Virginia. A few weeks later the Panthers got a dominant 41-13 win against a good Syracuse team. These wins had Pitt looking good to start the season and ranked 18th in the first CFP rankings.
Then they hit a road bump when they faced their first ranked opponent this season, losing to SMU 25-48. The Panthers had a chance to bounce back against Virginia at home the following week and lost that one 19-24. After suffering those two losses Pitt has dropped from tied for second place in the ACC to fifth, and 18th in the FBS to unranked. This Pittsburgh team is coming into this game hungry for a win to get back on track.
Tigers’ Key to Stay Alive
The biggest key for the Tigers heading into this game is to play with confidence. This Clemson team performs its best when it plays with a bit of swagger. It is night and day what the Tigers look like when they show they know who they are and what they can do. This is especially true for quarterback Cade Klubnik.
We have said many times that Klubnik is at his best when he plays with confidence and allows his energy to infect his teammates. What makes this year’s Pitt team dangerous is they know who they are. Head Coach Pat Narduzzi is in his tenth season leading the Panthers. The Pittsburgh football program is all his and filled with players and staff who know his expectations. That is why Pitt is usually a solid team that can hang with anyone, especially in conference competition.
Narduzzi and Dabo Swinney have a 2-2 record against each other. So, if the Panthers pull off the upset Narduzzi will be one of few coaches in all of college football with a winning record against Swinney. The Panthers are well-coached and started 7-0 because of it. The Tigers are well coached too though, and have great talent to go along with great coaching. When that talent plays to their expectations, not many teams can beat Clemson. The Tigers need to prove that to be true this Saturday.
