Clemson Tigers Week 12 Matchup Named One of Biggest Games Remaining

The Clemson Tigers will have one of the biggest games of the season in Week 12

Oct 19, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney, center, welcomes fans during Tiger Walk prior to the game against the Virginia Cavaliers at Memorial Stadium. / Alexander Hicks-Imagn Images

After a big win in Week 11, the Clemson Tigers will be back at it in Week 12 with a big matchup in the ACC. 

The Tigers will be facing off against the 18th ranked Pittsburgh Panthers in Clemson’s last conference game of the season. While the Tigers have three games left, the biggest one will certainly be against Pittsburgh. 

On the road against a ranked team is never an easy task, and Clemson will be tested in their final conference game of the season. However, after their performance against the Virginia Tech Hokies, there was once again hope for the program. 

In the victory, the Tigers were able to put together a really strong performance on both sides of the ball. On defense, Clemson shutdown the Hokies’ offense, especially on the ground. Considering how bad their run defense looked against the Louisville Cardinals, it was good to see them bounce back. 

On offense, the Tigers were very balanced both in the air and on the ground. Keeping a defense honest with the ability to do both at a high level makes it much easier all around for Clemson. 

With a big matchup coming up for the program, Brad Crawford of 247Sports spoke about the showdown with the Panthers being one of the most important games left in the season. 

“Clemson can put substantial pressure on Miami if the Tigers win their final ACC game to finish 7-1 in league play. They're tied with the Hurricanes right now in second-place behind SMU with a single conference loss, but do not hold the tiebreaker edge against the one common opponent both have played (Louisville). If Clemson beats Pitt on the road and Miami loses one of its remaining games to Wake Forest or Syracuse, the Tigers are heading to the conference title game.”

In terms of the ACC, the matchup between Clemson and Pittsburgh will help clarify some things in the conference heading down the stretch. With the SMU Mustangs having an easy schedule down the stretch, it would be shocking if they were not playing in the title game.

However, if the Tigers are able to beat the Panthers, it will put a lot of pressure on the Miami Hurricanes at the end of the season, as they have a challenging road game against the Syracuse Orange to finish out the season. 

While Clemson doesn’t control their own fate down the stretch, they can really make things interesting with a win in Week 12.