Top-Ranked Clemson Knows What Is at Stake Against Miami

No. 1 Clemson welcomes No. 7 Miami to town this weekend and linebacker James Skalski says the team is looking forward to the first top-ten matchup the team's had in Death Valley since 2016.

This weekend Clemson fans in attendance in Death Valley be getting a rare treat. 

For the first time since 2016, Memorial Stadium will be the site for a matchup pitting two top-ten teams against one another. 

Head coach Dabo Swinney's teams have always prided themselves on their ability to treat every game the same, regardless of opponent. However, linebacker James Skalski says it would be a little naive to think the players do not understand what is on the line this weekend when No. 7 Miami comes to town.

"We take every game like it's the same, but we understand what's at stake," Skalski said. "We understand the opponent, we understand the situation and the rankings and how this affects the season and everything."

The top-ranked Tigers have become well known for their ability to take each season one game at a time. In such an usual season, that kind of approach could prove to be more beneficial than ever before. 

With the ACC deciding to scrap the divisions this season in favor of sending the two best teams from the conference to Charlotte, the margin for error could be smaller than ever before. This weekends game could go a long ways towards deciding whether one of these two teams qualify for the ACC Championship Game in December.

"So it really is a one game season every week," Skalski said. "We really do feel like it's a playoff game every week with the structure of the conference, and just this year. But yeah, I mean, I'm very excited for this challenge and I think the whole team is too. Miami is a great team and it will be a fun one on Saturday."

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