On January 24th, The ACC released the 2024 football schedules for all 17 teams that will be part of the conference next season. Now the Tigers know who all their opponents will be, as well as when and where they will play them. Here we will break down Clemson’s 2024 schedule and begin to look at the challenges it will face as the Tigers attempt to return to the top of the ACC.
Non-Conference Foes
The Tigers’ four non-conference games for 2024 are split up between the first two games and the last two games of the season. Two of their non-conference opponents are members of the SEC. The first is Georgia, whom Clemson will face for the first game of its season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The last time these two powerhouse programs faced each other was to open the 2021 season where Georgia won 10-3. The second SEC opponent is rival South Carolina for the last game of the season in the annual Palmetto Bowl. The Tigers will be looking for their second straight win against the Gamecocks.
The other two non-conference foes the Tigers will see are Appalachian State and The Citadel. Appalachian State plays in the Sun Belt conference. It is one of the best group of five programs in the country. The Mountaineers have been tough competition for many Power Five programs they’ve faced over the years. Early in the 2023 season App State gave North Carolina a run for its money in a second overtime loss. In 2022 the Mountaineers beat a sixth-ranked Texas A&M team. The Tigers will meet them in Death Valley for the second game of their season.
The Citadel is a military program located in Charleston, South Carolina that plays in the Southern Conference of the FCS. In 2023 the Bulldogs went 0-11. This should be Clemson’s easiest test of the year. This game takes place the week before the Palmetto Bowl game.
Welcoming New Competition
Three new programs are joining the ACC in 2024. Stanford, University of California, and Southern Methodist University will all be part of the ACC starting next season. The only school Clemson will play out of these three newcomers in 2024 is Stanford. It will be just the second time ever the two programs have played each other. The first matchup took place in 1986 and Clemson won it 27-21. This will be the Tigers’ second conference game of the season.
The Fight Back to the Top
In 2023 Clemson finished sixth in the ACC. This was a very unusual spot for the Tigers as they are usually the frontrunners of the conference. In 2024, they will have the talent to make a run back to the ACC championship. The road won’t be easy though. Clemson will start its conference play against NC State, who many believe will be a real contender for the ACC championship game.
After facing the Wolfpack and new ACC member Stanford the Tigers will travel to Tallahassee to face Florida State. It will be Clemson’s first official road test of the season and it will be against the reigning ACC champions. After going down south, the Tigers will then go just a bit north to Winston-Salem to face Wake Forest. These two programs always play each other in tough close games. After that Clemson will be back home to welcome former offensive coordinator and assistant head coach Tony Elliot and his Virginia Cavaliers back to Death Valley. Then in comes the 2023 ACC championship runner-up Louisville.
To close out its in-conference schedule, Clemson will go back on the road for two straight weeks once again. First, they will go to Virginia Tech to play the Hokies. This is a game the Tigers can’t sleep on as some see the Hokies as a potential dark horse in the conference. Lastly, Clemson will travel to Pittsburgh to play its last ACC game of 2024 against Pitt.
Early Thoughts
The Tigers will have much to prove in 2024. Many people have much to say about where Clemson is as a program right now. Both good and bad. Some believe there is much to be excited about entering next season. Many skeptics though are still not confident in Dabo Swinney’s reluctance or inability to use the transfer portal effectively. This schedule will give Swinney’s team a chance early on to either shut the critics up or prove them right.
Much of Clemson’s toughest competition for next season will be seen in the first half of the season. It starts with a perennial national championship contender in Georgia. The next week it’s on to one of the best group of five programs in Appalachian State. Then the Tigers start Conference play against one of the top five favorites to win the ACC in NC State, and the defending conference champs in Florida State. This is all in the first five weeks of the season.
It will be a tougher schedule than what Clemson had in 2023. Especially the first half of games. If the Tigers want to prove the stock is back up though, they must win these games.
