After a desperately needed bye week, a battered Clemson team returns to Death Valley for a noon kickoff against Duke with one goal: stop the historic slide that has defined their season.
For the first time in weeks, there's a glimmer of hope. Senior quarterback Cade Klubnik, who missed his first start in 34 games with an ankle injury, is listed as probable and expected to return to the lineup.
His return couldn't come at a more critical time. The Tigers (3-4, 2-3 ACC) are in the midst of an unthinkable five-game home losing streak against Power Four opponents and are facing the very team that began their run of dominance last season. Duke (4-3, 3-1 ACC) embarrassed Clemson 28-7 in last year's opener, a game that signaled a changing of the guard in the ACC.
Despite the 3-4 record and a complete inability to cover spreads, oddsmakers are once again backing the Tigers, who have been favored in every single game this season.
Here are the game day lines, per FanDuel Sportsbook:
- Spread: Clemson -3.5
- Moneyline: Clemson -176 / Duke +148
- Total: 54.5 points
The skepticism from bettors is warranted. Clemson has been a bankroll killer in 2025, posting a 2-5 record against the spread.
The matchup is a must-win for Dabo Swinney, who is attempting to salvage a season that started with national title hopes and has devolved into a fight for bowl eligibility. With Klubnik back under center, the Tigers will have their leader on the field, but they'll need to reverse a season's worth of crippling offensive line play and defensive lapses to finally reward the faith of the oddsmakers and end the humiliation in Death Valley.
Prediction
History and tradition are powerful forces, and Clemson's 13-game Homecoming win streak is daunting. But on Saturday, the stats don't lie. Duke's offense is not just good; it's precisely the kind of efficient, high-powered passing attack (307.3 yards/game) designed to exploit the vulnerabilities Clemson has shown.
The deciding factor will be the turnover battle. Duke's defense is opportunistic, averaging 2.0 takeaways per game, while Clemson has been turnover-prone this season (-0.6 margin). Expect Duke to win that battle decisively.
Clemson's offense will struggle to sustain drives against a defense that gets off the field (Duke holds opponents to 44.00% on 3rd down), and a critical second-half turnover by the Tigers will give Duke a short field. This time, the Death Valley magic runs out. The Blue Devils' disciplined offense will be the difference, silencing the Homecoming crowd and snapping the 15-game home losing streak to the Tigers.
Final Score: Duke 28, Clemson 20