Athlon Sports spots two trap games for Clemson

Clemson had some success running the ball in a Top 10 battle with NC State last year.

Brandon Rink · Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer · Tuesday, June 27 2023

Athlon Sports went through the biggest trap games for 2023 College Football Playoff contenders and Clemson made that group.

Two games were identified by the outlet:

Sept. 30 at Syracuse: Clemson's last two matchups against Syracuse have been decided by one score. Also, the timing (a week after taking on Florida State in a potential preview of the ACC Championship) isn't ideal.

Oct. 28 at NC State: The Wolfpack knocked off Clemson the last time these teams played in Raleigh, so an upset here wouldn't be a surprise. But like the Syracuse contest, the timing isn't on coach Dabo Swinney's side. NC State gets Clemson a week after a trip to Miami, followed by a date against Notre Dame on Nov. 4.

Clemson has won five in a row over the Orange since a 27-24 upset defeat in 2017 in the Carrier (now JMA Wireless) Dome.

The last few installments of the Syracuse trip have ranged from a 41-6 Clemson victory in 2019 to a 17-14 win in 2021.

The Clemson-Syracuse final score has been within a touchdown in four of the last six matchups, despite Clemson being at least a two-touchdown favorite in each (and as much as a 47-point favorite in 2020, a 47-21 win that was a one-score game deep into the third quarter).

NC State broke up a series-long, eight-game streak for Clemson in 2021 with a 27-21 decision.

The Tigers resumed their success against the Wolfpack with a 30-20 win in a battle of Top 10 teams last year in Death Valley.

Clemson has won 16 of the last 18 matchups against Wolfpack, but those two defeats were both in Raleigh since 2011 (2011 and 2021).