Clemson Tigers Must Avoid Look-Ahead Spot with Big Matchup Looming

Will the Clemson Tigers be able to avoid looking ahead on their schedule?

Nov 2, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney reacts during the fourth quarter against the Louisville Cardinals at Memorial Stadium. / Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers are coming off what was a bad loss last week to the Louisville Cardinals, in a game that they should have won.

Now, the Tigers are 6-2 on the season and saw themselves plummet in the rankings, down to 23rd. When looking at the box score, it is hard to figure out how Clemson lost the game, as they nearly doubled them up on time of possession, neither team turned the ball over, and the Tigers also had more total yards.

However, with a couple of missed field goals and Louisville jumping out to an early lead, the Cardinals did a nice job slowing down what had been a superb Tigers offense led by Cade Kulbink.

With the loss, Clemson now has two losses and is in third place in the ACC, as their margin for error has shrunk for the rest of the season.

This coming week, the Tigers will have the opportunity to bounce back against the Virginia Tech Hokies, and they will need to if they want to keep their hopes in the ACC alive. The Hokies have been solid this season, as they have a 5-4 record and a 3-2 record in the conference. 

While Clemson is the better team, they must not take this game lightly with a big matchup looming next against the Pittsburgh Panthers. 

This is a typical look-ahead game, as the Panthers will be the last ranked team that the Tigers face this season, and it will be a big opportunity to make a potential statement to make the College Football Playoff. 

For Clemson, they will also be keeping an eye on what the Miami Hurricanes and SMU Mustangs are doing in the coming weeks, as if the team hopes to play for an ACC Championship, they will need one of those teams to slip up, as both are perfect in conference play. 

While there is a lot to watch for the program, they first and foremost have to focus on the opponent in front of them. Even though their record is mediocre, Virginia Tech has shown that they are capable of playing some very good football. 

This is a team that narrowly lost to the Hurricanes earlier in the season and has played in a lot of one-score games. If the Hokies were able to close some of these games out better, they would have a much better record. 

Even though the Tigers should win, they must avoid looking ahead and worrying about other teams in the conference, as they need to handle their business after a bad loss.