The Florida State Seminoles are taking on the Clemson Tigers in a battle of disappointing ACC teams in Week 9. The game kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday in Tallahassee, Florida.
The Seminoles are listed as six-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 50.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and best bet for this Week 9 matchup.
Florida State vs. Clemson Prediction, Preview
Clemson Preview
The Clemson Tigers program that won two national championships in the past decade is now unrecognizable. When the transfer portal and NIL became a big part of the game, Dabo Swinney openly admitted that he was going to be using it minimally and focusing on high school recruiting still. Initially, that bumped Clemson out of the top tier of college programs, but they were still able to scrape by with the high level of high school talent that they had, especially in a weaker ACC. However, those days are gone. This could truly be the end of the Dabo Swinney era in Clemson.
Clemson clearly can’t hang with the best teams in the country anymore. So far this season, they have lost to Miami and LSU by a combined score of 92-23. However, the real concerning loss came last week to Virginia Tech. At one point, an unranked Virginia Tech team going to Clemson and winning on the road would have been a major storyline. Instead, it was merely a blip on last weekend’s radar. Tait Reynolds is not nearly good enough at quarterback for Clemson, and the defense is no longer at an elite level to make up for the poor offense. This season could get away from Clemson in a hurry.
Florida State Preview
Florida State is another former ACC power going through a tough stretch. However, the Seminoles have shown a few more signs of life than Clemson so far this season. Florida State went to overtime with Miami on the road last time out, the same Miami team that bothered Clemson. Florida State also played competitive games against SMU and Alabama. Ashton Daniels is not a great quarterback, but has a much higher ceiling than Tait Reynolds. The Seminoles also have Duce Robinson, one of the best wide receivers in the country. This would be a huge win for the Seminoles to show that they are at least a level above Clemson at this point in time.
Florida State vs. Clemson Pick, Best Bet
My best bet is on Florida State to cover as six-point favorites. The Seminoles should have a good home crowd for this matchup against a name brand team. While they lost to Miami, that performance should have given Florida State a lot of confidence heading into the bye week. They are now on extended rest, while Clemson should be feeling deflated after last week’s loss to Virginia Tech. The spot is much better for the Seminoles, and Ashton Daniels is much more capable of making plays than Tait Reynolds is. The Seminoles should be up for this game and get a big win, covering the spread in the process.
