There’s a reason that Wake Forest may be the toughest game remaining on the 2019 Clemson football schedule and it doesn’t have to do with talent.
The Clemson football team will prepare for its final home game of the season in a matchup against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons this weekend.
The Tigers come into the matchup 10-0 and are looking to keep their CFB Playoff hopes on track with a with this weekend.
Despite Wake Forest’s loss to Virginia Tech this past weekend, the Demon Deacons could present the toughest challenge of the remaining three games for Clemson football. Here’s why.
The Toughest Remaining Game?
This is just a weird game for the Clemson football team. This will be the first time in quite a while that the Tigers likely won’t be wearing orange or purple in the month of November and that’s because nothing is officially on the line in this outing.
Clemson clinched the ACC Atlantic last weekend, so the Tigers now have a week against Wake Forest that won’t affect their trip to Charlotte. While we all know that Clemson needs this win to keep its CFB Playoff hopes alive, it could be a situation where the Tigers overlook Wake Forest or don’t come into the game as focused as they likely should be.
That wouldn’t be the case if the team was still ranked outside of the top-four or vying to clinch the division, but now that Clemson football is ranked No. 3 in the nation and the Tigers are seemingly in if they win-out, it’s conceivable that the team could come out a little flat.
It’s not expected that the Tigers will come out flat against a rival like South Carolina. They also will come out ready to play for the ACC Championship game, but this weird game against a dangerous Wake Forest team sets up a situation similar to the North Carolina matchup early this season.
The Demon Deacons have some explosiveness in their offense and they’ll be looking to reel off a huge upset.
This is the toughest remaining game- before the CFB Playoff or postseason- because the Tigers will have to battle complacency or apathy. They’ll have to energize themselves, rally around the seniors for Senior Day, and motivate themselves knowing all that is on the line in terms of the CFB Playoff race.