Clemson football: 2020 in Chestnut Hill will be measuring stick for the Tigers
Looking at the 2020 Clemson football schedule, there is one game that sticks out more than the rest when looking at 12 regular-season games.
No, we are not talking about Notre Dame on November 7th. That will be a night game of teams ranked in the Top 5 of the country and will not be overlooked by anyone wearing orange and white that night.
However, there is a game in early October that everyone should circle as this is a game that will let us know exactly where Clemson is in 2020. We are talking about the trip to Chestnut Hill and facing Boston College on a Friday night.
No, Boston College does not have the talent that Clemson does but they do have a new coaching staff and will have new philosophies on both sides of the ball. This will be a very different Boston College team than what we have seen in recent years. However, they will still have that blue-collar work ethic that BC teams are known for.
Why is this a measuring stick game? For a couple of reasons actually.
The first is it is on a short week. There are a lot of young guys that are going to contribute to Clemson’s defense. Can they be prepared and focused when thrown off their routine that early in the season?
We have seen almost every season, that one game that gives Clemson football trouble on the road – 2016 at FSU, 2017 at Syracuse, 2018 at Texas A&M and at UNC in 2019. This has the potential to be one of those games.
The other reason is where it sits in the schedule. Clemson will be coming off of a game against the reigning Coastal Champion Virginia Cavaliers at home and also have FSU on the road a week later. Despite what FSU has become lately, they are still one of the most talented teams in the country and their new coaching staff will have in the Top 25 at some point this season.
When you consider the FSU rivalry and the attention that the game will get, it will be really easy to forget about Boston College on a Friday night.
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We all know the Clemson motto – one opponent at a time and practice to a standard. We also know that these young men are 18-22 and there is a tendency at times to lose focus (see examples above). If this team takes care of Boston College in early October that will be the sign we need to know exactly what kind of team the 2020 version of Clemson football is.