Preview and Predictions: Clemson vs. Syracuse

After three straight weeks in the ABC prime-time window, kickoff on ABC at Death Valley this Saturday is set for noon ET.

For the first time in the 81-season history of Memorial Stadium, Clemson will host a matchup of two undefeated teams with records of 6-0 or better when the No. 5 Tigers (7-0) host the No. 14 Syracuse Orange (6-0) on Saturday, Oct. 22. 

After three straight weeks in the ABC prime-time window, the kickoff on ABC at Death Valley this Saturday is set for noon ET. 

Clemson is in search of its fifth victory this season against teams that enter games with no losses, including wins against 0-0 Georgia Tech, 1-0 Furman, 3-0 Wake Forest and 4-0 NC State. The 2022 squad would join national championship squads from 2016 and 2018 as the only teams in school history to earn at least five wins against teams with no losses and no ties. 

Clemson was 5-0 against undefeated teams in 2016 (0-0 Auburn, 1-0 Troy, 3-0 Georgia Tech, 4-0 Louisville and 14-0 Alabama) and 7-0 against undefeated teams in 2018 (0-0 Furman, 1-0 Texas A&M, 2-0 Georgia Southern, 4-0 Syracuse, 5-0 NC State, 12-0 Notre Dame and 14-0 Alabama).

No. 4 Clemson (7-0, 5-0 ACC) is a 13.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, against No. 18 Syracuse (6-0, 3-0).

Zach Lentz: The Clemson Tigers take on Dino Babers and the unbeaten Orange. Wow, that is strange to write. But the Orange's magical start to the season come to a stretching halt Saturday at the hands of a Tiger offense that is resurgent and a defense that was called out, held a team meeting and is pissed off. There is no pre-bye week letdown this week as the Tigers roll on homecoming.

Clemson 45, Syracuse 24

Jason Priester: There are still a lot of unknowns about this Syracuse team. Yes, they are unbeaten, but the overall resume is not overly impressive and their only road game of the season was at UConn. This is the week we find out exactly what the Orange are made of. Clemson is coming off a less-than-stellar defensive performance against Florida State that resulted in the players holding a team meeting early in the week. Add in that some of the Syracuse players have been providing the Tigers with some juicy bulletin board material, and this one won't be close. The Orange hang around for a little while, but Clemson wins big, making a statement in the process.

Clemson 38, Syracuse 20

Will Vandervort: After being called out by their head coach, and then by the media and fans, how motivated will the Tigers' defense be on Saturday? I want to think they will be very motivated. Up until last week, no one could really run the football on Clemson, but Florida State ran for 206 yards and averaged 6.1 yards per carry. I can't see that happening again. Like Clemson's offense, Syracuse likes to run quarterback Garrett Shrader. The offense is a little different than in years past, especially with former Virginia OC Robert Anae running the offense now. He did wonders with Brennan Armstrong last year, and it is obvious by the loss in production the Cavaliers have had that he played a big part in why UVa was ranked in the top three nationally in total offense. Shrader, who completed just 52,6 percent of his passes last year, is second in the ACC at 69.7 percent. He is also averaging 9.4 yards per attempt--second in the league--and has 12 TDs to just three interceptions through the first six games. Of course, the offense centers around RB Sean Tucker, who they use in a lot of different ways. This Orange team will be a challenge for Clemson's defense. As for the Tigers' offense, DJ Uiagalelei and company are going to have their hands full. Syracuse leads the ACC in total defense, scoring and pass defense. They also rank second in run defense. But how good is the Orange? Really?! We don't know. But we do know they are undefeated and they will have Clemson's full attention.

Clemson 31, Syracuse 10

Brad Senkiw: Clemson is going for an ACC-record 38th consecutive home victory in the game, has motivation from not finishing well last week at FSU and gets one last chance to prove itself before the Nov. 1 unveiling of the initial College Football Playoff rankings. All of that should have the Tigers quite focused before next week's bye. Syracuse hasn't lost because QB Garrett Shrader has turned into a solid passer. Sean Tucker is still a beast at running back. And the defense has NFL talent all over it. But Syracuse hasn't faced a balanced offense like what Clemson's showcasing right now, and if the defense can contain Shrader better than it did FSU's Jordan Travis, the Tigers accomplish the goal. 

Clemson 34, Syracuse 20

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