Streaking: What's on the line against the Orange
WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEK
- Clemson attempting to win its 18th consecutive game, dating to the start of the 2018 season. It would represent Clemson's all-time longest winning streak, surpassing a 17-game streak across the final three games of the 2014 season and the first 14 games in 2015.
- Clemson attempting to win its eighth straight true road game and avenge its most recent road loss (2017 at Syracuse). It would be Clemson's fourth road winning streak of eight games or more all-time, joining eight-game streaks from 1947-48 and 1978-79 as well as the school-record 12-game streak from 2015-17.
- Clemson seeking its 20th victory in its last 21 true road games. - Clemson seeking its 33rd victory in its last 36 games away from home.
- Clemson attempting to win a 13th consecutive ACC regular season game for the third time in school history (20 from 1981-84, 14 from 2015-16). Clemson also won 13 straight Southern Conference games from 1938-41 prior to the formation of the ACC. It would be Clemson's 15th straight victory against ACC opponents, including postseason play. - Clemson seeking its 100th win since the start of the 2011 season, the year that began Clemson's active eight-year streak of consecutive 10-win seasons. Clemson is 99-15 since 2011.
- Clemson attempting to improve to 11-2 all-time in games as the AP No. 1-ranked team. Eleven of Clemson's 12 games played at No. 1 all-time entering Saturday have come during the Dabo Swinney era.
- Clemson attempting to win a 13th consecutive game by 14 points or more, which would tie for the fifth-longest streak in the AP Poll era (since 1936).
- Clemson attempting to improve to 6-2 all-time against Syracuse. - Clemson attempting to improve to 3-1 all-time in games played at Syracuse.
- Clemson attempting to win its 51st road opener in program history. The Tigers are currently 50-65-8 all-time in their first road game of the year.
- Clemson attempting to earn its fifth consecutive victory in a road opener dating back to 2015. Last year's senior class became the first Clemson senior class since 1989 to win every road opener of its career. A five-game winning streak in road openers would pull Clemson within one of its school record of six, set across the 1984-89 seasons.
- Clemson attempting to win its first ACC road game of the year for a fifth straight season. Clemson's last loss in its first ACC road game of the year came at the hands of top-ranked Florida State in 2014.
- Clemson entering the game 40-25-1 all-time in its first conference road game of the season since the formation of the ACC in 1953.
- Clemson attempting to push its winning streak in Saturday games to 32 to extend the longest Saturday winning streak in school history. Clemson's current 31-game run of consecutive Saturday victories is the longest active streak in the country.
- Clemson attempting to win its 20th consecutive game in the month of September, dating back to 2014. The current streak is already the longest in school history.
- Head Coach Dabo Swinney entering this week 35- 17 in true road games and attempting to win his 36th true road game at Clemson, which would tie Danny Ford (36-15-1) for the second-most road wins in school history. Frank Howard holds the school record with 77 career road wins
- Clemson attempting to play a turnover-free game, which would snap Syracuse's streak of 16 consecutive games with a takeaway, the third-longest active streak in the country.
- Clemson attempting to finish with a positive turnover margin in a sixth straight game, dating back to last season, for the first time since the final five games of the 1989 season and first game of the 1990 season.
- Clemson attempting to intercept a pass in a seventh straight game for the first time since a nine-game interception streak across the first nine games of the 2016 season.
20-POINT WINS & 14-POINT WINS
Observers will often point to Clemson's 27-23 come-from-behind victory against Syracuse in late September of 2018 as a turning point in the team's 15-0 national championship season. Following that win, in which redshirt freshman Chase Brice led the team to victory after starting the week as the squad's third-team quarterback, Clemson won 11 straight games by at least 20 points.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, Clemson's 11-game streak of 20-point wins across the 2018-19 seasons was one game shy of the 2018 Alabama Crimson Tide for the longest streak of 20-point wins in the AP Poll era (since 1936).
That streak was broken in the second week of the 2019 season when Texas A&M scored a touchdown with only six seconds remaining to cut Clemson's margin of victory from 21 to 14. Presently, Clemson's streak of 12 consecutive 14-point wins is tied for the eighth-longest in the AP Poll era, per ESPN Stats & Info. Clemson can move into a tie for fifth with another 14-point in this week.
STREAKS OF EXCELLENCE
Included below are a number of additional historically profound streaks presently being produced by Clemson:
• Has won 60 of its last 64 games overall dating to 2014.
• Has won 35 of its last 37 games against ACC teams.
• Has won 68 of its last 70 games when leading at halftime.
• Is 89-2 since 2011 when leading after three quarters.
• Is 40-0 when scoring first since 2015.
• Has an 89-2 record when totaling more first downs than its opponent since 2011.
• Has a 49-3 record when winning the turnover margin since 2011.
• Is 56-1 when rushing for 200+ yards under Dabo Swinney.
• Is 42-0 when both passing and rushing for 200+ yards under Dabo Swinney.
• Is 41-2 when having a 100-yard rusher since 2011.
• Has won 19 of its last 20 games away from home against ACC teams.
• Has won 19 of its last 20 road games.
• Has won 32 of its last 35 games away from home.
• Has won 38 of its last 39 games at home.
• Has won 28 of its last 29 games against ACC Atlantic Division teams.
• Has won 19 games in a row in September.
• Has won 19 of its last 20 games in October.
• Has won 10 games in a row in November.
• Has won 10 games in a row in December.
• Has won 64 of its last 66 games against unranked teams.
• Has won 21 of its last 23 games against top-25 teams since the start of the 2015 season.
• Entered 2019 having won 39 of its last 41 games against teams that ended their season in a bowl game (including 2018 Boston College, whose bowl game was cancelled as the result of inclement weather).
• Has won 70 straight games when holding teams under 23 points (dates to 2010).
ACC WINNING STREAKS
Clemson has won 35 of its last 37 games vs. ACC opponents, including ACC Championship game wins against North Carolina (2015), Virginia Tech (2016), Miami (2017) and Pittsburgh (2018). Clemson has won its most recent game against every ACC team and owns a streak of at least two wins against 11 of the 13 squads.
SATURDAYS ARE FOR THE TIGERS
Clemson enters this week having won each of its last 31 Saturday games. Clemson went 12-2 during the 2017 campaign, with its only losses coming on a Friday at Syracuse and a Monday on New Year's Day in the Sugar Bowl. You have to travel back to Nov. 12, 2016, a total of 1,036 days prior to this week's contest, for Clemson's most recent loss on a Saturday.