Nothing gold can stay. After a sensational six-year run of dominance at Clemson from 2015 through 2020, that is sadly over for Dabo Swinney's Tigers. By falling at home to Virginia Tech 20-16 in Week 8, the chances of Clemson making the playoffs are over, with a shot at a bowl game not set in stone. In what should have been a winnable game at Florida State, the oddsmakers do not trust Clemson.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Florida State will be laying 5.5 points to visiting Clemson on Halloween night. The associated moneylines for this game are Florida State -215 and Clemson +176. This means you would need to wager $215 on Florida State to win $100, while a $100 bet on Clemson would pocket you $176. The projected point total for this game comes in at a combined 51.5 points.
Florida State is only 3-4 on this season. The Seminoles are 1-3 in ACC play, having lost their last two games. While winning away from Doak Campbell has been so hard for Mike Norvell's team, this one will be in Tallahassee. For as meager as Clemson's offense has been this season, Florida State has shown from time to time that it can score points. The fact Clemson is an underdog is straight pitiful.
Clemson made the Florida State game harder for itself by losing in Week 8
There is no way around this, but the Virginia Tech loss has tipped the scales in the negative for the Tigers moving forward. This team has no home-field advantage anymore after losing eight of its last 10 games at Death Valley to Power Four opponents. While Clemson does have a road win at Cal, the Golden Bears are arguably the worst-coached team in the ACC. Tosh Lupoi is so over his skis there.
Had Clemson scored a game-winning touchdown on that decisive drive, maybe the point spread would be closer to a push? Clemson could have been seen as an undisputed top-four team in the ACC behind Miami, Wake Forest, and SMU, probably in that order. Instead, we are looking at a team who may need to beat Syracuse and Georgia Tech in order to achieve bowl eligibility in this season.
It is all about a matter of perspective. A 5-2 team that is 3-1 in ACC play is viewed exponentially more favorably than a 4-3 team that just stumbled at home to fall to 2-2 in the conference standings. From an extreme outside shot at making the playoffs, to searching for wins to achieve bowl eligibility, that is the nosedive Clemson just took upon falling to Virginia Tech. No opponent can be taken for granted.
Overall, this all falls back on Swinney. He had plenty of opportunities to put his players in positions to be successful, but could not rely on his inconsistent staff. For as good as Tom Allen and Rich Bisaccia have been on defense and special teams, the exact opposite can be said about Chad Morris on offense and Matt Luke along the offensive line. To be a 5.5-point underdog at Florida State is pathetic.
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