ESPN Names Clemson's Most Important Game of 2023

Which game on Clemson's 2023 schedule will have the greatest impact on the season for the Tigers?

Clemson's 2023 schedule is an interesting one. At first glance, it seems incredibly manageable, with the Tigers likely to be heavy favorites in all but Week 4's game against Florida State and Week 10's matchup against Notre Dame, both of whom are ranked higher than Clemson in ESPN's preseason rankings.

It can be tough to define which of these games is the "most important" to Clemson's season. Notre Dame is a big game but not a conference one, which would lead most to the Florida State game. With no divisions in the ACC this year, this game could put the winner in the driver's seat to securing a spot in the conference championship, while the loser would give up any margin for error. ESPN ACC reporter Andrea Adelson had a different take on the subject.

Clemson's 31-30 loss to South Carolina ended the team's hopes for a CFP appearance

In a piece for ESPN, laying out the season-defining games for each top-25 team, Adelson posed the opinion that South Carolina, Clemson's final game of the regular season, is the matchup that best fits that bill. She believes that the fact that Clemson would have no time to recover from a loss in the final week of the season could keep the Tigers out of the College Football Playoff, just like in 2022. 

Adelson also pointed to what a second straight loss to South Carolina could signal about Clemson as a whole. The Tigers haven't lost back-to-back games to the Gamecocks in a decade. "A second straight loss to South Carolina will present some unsettling questions."