No. 1: Clemson at Florida State
Mike Norvell had a big job ahead of him when he arrived in Tallahassee. He didn’t turn things around overnight. He persevered and got the Seminoles over the hump. They won the ACC in 2023 and went undefeated.
Then the plausible deniability sets in. We have no idea how far the Seminoles might have advanced if Jordan Travis had not been injured. We don’t know how they would have looked with Tate Rodemaker if they had gotten into the College Football Playoff or if they had been able to put most of their roster on the field against Georgia.
Because we didn’t get to see FSU at their best with Travis (or even 2nd-best with Rodemaker) in the postseason against either Michigan or Georgia, it is very difficult to gauge exactly where we think this revised roster could fall this season with all the turnover. Norvell did a good job of reloading on defense with 4-star transfers from Alabama, West Virginia, and Oregon State. Florida State did add a 4-star transfer from LSU at receiver, but there wasn't as much activity on the offensive side.
Enough of the preamble. The only transfer that really matters for the importance of this game is at quarterback for the Seminoles.
Clemson vs Florida State is important because it will be directly impactful to both teams’ chances to go to the ACC Championship game and subsequently the College Football Playoff. It will be a challenge for Clemson because they will have to go on the road to Doak Campbell Stadium.
The importance of both of those factors seems minute compared to the ultimate fallout if Clemson loses to a team that is led by DJ Uiagalelei. There are plenty of people nationally who still think it was Clemson and Swinney who failed DJU, and his late-season swoon with the Beavers didn’t change their opinion.
Now, considering the press that Coach Swinney has received following the national recognition that the Tigers didn’t take any transfers, for one of his former ‘next big things’ to defeat Swinney’s program as a transfer quarterback (that isn't good enough to help them) will be gasoline on the fire. Even if Clemson were to beat Georgia in the first game, finish the season at 11-1, and qualify for the ACC championship game, no one nationally will forget that Clemson lost to DJU.
There is no doubt that this is the most important game of the season for the Tigers.