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The college football regular season is now over as rivalry week concluded things over the weekend. It was a bizarre final couple of days as we saw thrilling endings in eight overtimes and shocking upsets that no one saw coming. There were zero conference title matchups set before the weekend, but all of the questions were obviously answered. The Clemson football team needed Syracuse to upset Miami over the weekend, and the Orange came through. The Tigers will take on the SMU football team in the ACC title game.
Clemson actually lost this past weekend as they fell at home to rival South Carolina, but the game didn't matter in terms of the ACC title game because the Gamecocks are in the SEC. When Miami went up 21-0 on Syracuse, things looked bleak for the Tigers, but a furious comeback from the Orange has sent Clemson into the ACC title game.
Before we talk more about the ACC Championship game, let's take a deeper look at both Clemson and SMU.
SMU has surprised a lot of people this year
This is year one for the SMU football team in the ACC, and they have been the best team in the conference this year. Not a lot of people saw this coming. At the beginning of the year, Florida State, Miami and Clemson were looked at as the main contenders. Now, the Mustangs are undefeated in conference play and they are favored over Clemson this weekend.
SMU lost one game earlier in the season as they dropped a close one at home against BYU. The Cougars ended up being one of the best teams in the Big 12, and the Mustangs ended up being one of the best teams in the ACC.
This weekend's game against Clemson won't be easy, but what SMU has accomplished this season has already been incredibly impressive. However, they want this championship and they want a College Football Playoff berth. They can still get in with a loss, but they also very well could be left out.
Clemson is lucky to be here
The Clemson football team really has no business playing for a College Football Playoff spot, but here we are. The Tigers finished the regular season 9-3, but they have just one conference loss. Because of that, they are able to play for an ACC title, and if they win, they will be in the playoff.
Clemson started the season with a blowout loss against Georgia, and then also fell against Louisville and South Carolina. The Tigers aren't that good of a team, but this game against SMU is expected to be close. The ACC is a very weak conference, so Clemson definitely has a good shot at winning this game despite their struggles this season.
This expected to be a good game as the spread doesn't favor SMU by much, but there is one thing that Clemson football fans should be a little nervous about on Saturday.
Will Clemson's defense get enough stops?
If you look through the stats for both of these teams, the biggest concern for Clemson becomes their defense. The Tigers typically have a very strong defense as it is usually near the top of college football, but that isn't the case this season. The Tigers currently rank 57th in total defense out of 133 teams. SMU ranks 21st in total offense.
Going over to the flip side of things, Clemson ranks eighth in total offense and SMU ranks 28th in total defense.
Going through every statistic for both of these teams, you will find that they are pretty even in most areas, but this could be a little bit of a concern for the Tigers. SMU has a lot of weapons on offense, and Clemson will need to bring their A-game to stop them.
All in all, this points to being a very close game and it should be a fun one to watch.
Clemson and SMU will kick off at 8:00 ET on Saturday night from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the game will be airing on ABC. SMU is currently favored by 2.5 points.
Conference championship weekend preview
The ACC title game should be an exciting one to watch, but this entire weekend is going to be a lot of fun, and every matchup will shape the College Football Playoff. Let's take a look at what will be going in every notable conference.
First off, there are a couple important non-power four conference title games that will kick off the weekend on Friday night. #22 UNLV and #11 Boise State will face off in the Mountain West title game and #17 Tulane will play Army in the American title game. Remember, the highest-ranked non-power four teams get an automatic bid.
The Big 12 will kick things off on Saturday as Arizona State and Iowa State will play at noon ET. That is a win or go home. The loser will not make the playoff.
After that, the SEC title game will get going at 4:00. Georgia is taking on Texas, and both of those teams will likely go to the playoff regardless of the outcome.
In this Big Ten title game, the same is true. Win or lose, Oregon and Penn State will both be going to the playoff. Ohio State was expected to be make this game, but a shocking loss to Michigan over the weekend paved the way for the Nittany Lions.
The other night game this weekend is the one we have already talked about, the ACC title game that will feature Clemson and SMU. Clemson definitely needs a win to get in the playoff, but SMU could still squeak in even if they lose.
Conference championship week is always fun. Enjoy it, college football fans.
