Clemson Tigers Seeking Bounce-Back Victory Against Virginia Tech Hokies

The Clemson Tigers head to Blacksburg, Va., for the first of two straight road games in an attempt to stay in the ACC race.

Nov 2, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) and tight end Jake Briningstool (9) react during the fourth quarter against the Louisville Cardinals at Memorial Stadium. / Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

Just a week ago the Clemson Tigers were in control of their own destiny when it came to reaching the ACC Championship game in Charlotte next month.

And now? The Tigers are clinging to any hope they can grasp.

After Clemson's 33-21 loss to the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, the Tigers (6-2, 5-1 in ACC) are now a game back of both Miami and SMU in the ACC standings.

Clemson needs a lot of help in order to get to Charlotte. But it won’t matter if the Tigers don’t win their remaining two ACC games, the first of which is on Saturday against Virginia Tech.

Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. eastern at Lane Stadium.

The scenario for the No. 19 Tigers is pretty simple — they must win their remaining two ACC games and they need either Miami or SMU to lose two of their remaining three league games. The three teams don’t play each other and the Tigers lose in the common opponents tiebreaker.

Virginia Tech (5-4, 3-2) is one win away from bowl eligibility, but the Hokies are basically out of the conference championship game. But they could completely end any faint hopes the Tigers have of sliding into the title game with a win on Saturday.  

Here is a preview of Clemson and Virginia Tech.

Clemson at Virginia Tech

Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Va.

Time: 3:30 p.m., ET

TV: ESPN

Radio: WCCP 105.5 FM (flagship)

Coaches: Clemson — Dabo Swinney (176-45 at Clemson, overall); Virginia Tech — Brent Pry (15-18 at Virginia Tech, overall).

Fun fact: Like Swinney, Pry worked for Virginia Tech at one time before he became the Hokies head coach. Unlike Swinney, it wasn’t a direct path. Pry was a graduate assistant with the Hokies under the legendary Frank Beamer from 1995-97.

All-Times Series: Clemson leads series, 23-12-1.

Last meeting: Clemson 45, Virginia Tech 10 (2020).

Series notes: Clemson has won the last six meetings, dating back to 2011.  

Last Week: Clemson lost to Louisville, 33-21; Virginia Tech lost to Syracuse, 38-31.

About Virginia Tech: Sometimes it's about the path that doesn’t materialize that can define a season.

Imagine if Virginia Tech had pulled off that upset over Miami in late September. That potential victory would have completely upended the ACC race as we now know it. The Hokies lost that game on a Hail Mary and after a lengthy review to ensure it was the correct call.

Virginia Tech bounced back and won its next three league games, but that loss to Syracuse on Saturday really hurt. With that defeat, the Hokies need even more help than Clemson does to sniff the ACC title game.

With Duke and Virginia left on the schedule, the Hokies just want to get one more win so they can get into a bowl game in Pry’s third season as head coach.

About Clemson: Saturday's loss to Louisville was the definition of “laying an egg” in football parlance. From the start, the Tigers just didn't look right. The offense was disconnected. The defense was unable to slow down Louisville's running game. The special teams turned out to be atrocious, as the Tigers allowed two blocked field goals against a Louisville special teams unit that, well, specializes in blocking kicks.

One could chalk it up as just “one of those nights,” but Clemson had so much on the line entering the game that calling it just “one of those nights” doesn't quite cover it.

The Tigers knew they needed to win that game in order to keep pace with the rest of the league’s leaders.  Now, Clemson must hope that either Miami or SMU loses to conference games down the stretch just to have a shot to get into the ACC title game.

Saturday night wasn’t a speed bump. Saturday night was a car crash.

Next Up: Clemson travels to Pitt on Nov. 16. Virginia Tech is idle.