ACC Championship Game Prediction: Tigers and Heels face off for the title

Clemson takes on UNC for the ACC Championship.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Dec 02 10:32:03 GMT-04:00 2022

Clemson is playing for an ACC Championship, and for the first time in a long time is playing for that championship without a College Football Playoff spot on the line. But it’s still a championship – the visiting Tigers will wear the white jerseys with orange britches – and the winner earns the right to head to Miami and the Orange Bowl for the holidays. The loser? A lesser bowl and a game added to a losing streak.

Did we mention this is for the ACC Championship, which is a big deal?

NO. 9 CLEMSON (10-2, 8-0 ACC) vs. NO. 23 NORTH CAROLINA (9-3, 6-2 ACC)

WHEN: SATURDAY, DEC. 3, 8 P.M. ET
WHERE: BANK OF AMERICA STADIUM (75,412), CHARLOTTE, N.C.
TELEVISION: ABC (Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, Molly McGrath)
RADIO: Clemson Athletic Network (Don Munson, Tim Bourret, Reggie Merriweather)
RADIO: ESPN Radio (Sean Kelley, Tom Ramsey, Sideline Reporter TBA)
SATELLITE RADIO: SiriusXM 137/193, Internet 955

CLEMSON/NORTH CAROLINA SERIES HISTORY

OVERALL: Clemson leads, 38-19-1
HOME: Clemson leads, 20-8
ROAD: Clemson leads, 16-11-1
NEUTRAL: Clemson leads, 2-0
LAST MEETING: Sept. 28, 2019 (21-20, W)
STREAK: Clemson, Won 4

*A win Saturday would be Clemson's eighth ACC Championship Game victory since the ACC instituted the conference championship game (and divisional format) in 2005, including a win in a division-free year in 2020. An eighth conference title would tie Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney with College Football Hall of Famer Frank Howard (eight, including six ACC titles) for the most conference championships in Clemson history. A win would also make Clemson the first team in an active Power Five conference to win seven outright conference titles in an eight-year span since Alabama won eight outright SEC titles in nine years from 1971-79.

*At No. 10/11 (AP/Coaches), Clemson represents North Carolina's first ranked opponent of the 2022 season. The Tar Heels are the only team in the ACC this season not to have faced a team ranked in either the AP Poll or Coaches Poll (as of the time of each game).

*Clemson is attempting to become the first program to win 21 ACC titles. Since helping form the conference in 1953, Clemson leads the ACC with 20 titles all-time, including 19 outright.

*Clemson is attempting to earn its 27th conference championship all-time, including four SIAA championships and two Southern Conference championships prior to the formation of the ACC. Clemson’s 26 conference titles across all conferences are the most of any current or former ACC member.

*Clemson holds a 38-19-1 lead in the series with North Carolina that dates to 1897, the second year of Clemson football. The 1897 game was just the sixth game in Clemson football history, and the Tar Heels won that game, 28-0. It was the first game for the Tigers against a team presently in the ACC. Clemson has won seven of the last eight meetings between the schools, dating to the 2002 season. Between 1987-94, an eight-year stretch, one of the teams was ranked in the top 25 entering each game. Clemson was 7-1 in those games.

WHEN UNC HAS THE BALL

This one is pretty simple. And not so simple. This is the best offense the Tigers have faced this season – the Tar Heels rank 11th nationally in total offense at 480.9 yards per game. The Heels pass for right at 320 yards per game, ranking 8th nationally. Quarterback Drake Maye and wide receiver Josh Downs are a dangerous combo, and Maye is not only a threat to throw it, he ranks 11th in the ACC in rushing. In other words, what the Heels do well (throw with a mobile quarterback) is what the Tigers have had trouble stopping.

Downs has 83 receptions for 929 yards and 11 touchdowns, and it will be imperative that the Tigers generate enough of a pass rush to stop this offense. The Tigers put pressure on South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler last week and the defensive line probably played well enough to win, but the Gamecocks used the quick game to their advantage and got the ball to playmakers in space. Clemson, as it has at times a lot this season, didn’t cover well enough or tackle well enough to win.

Another key? Not giving the UNC receivers a ton of cushion. The Tigers have to press and knock the receivers off their routes while putting pressure on Maye. If they don’t, we’re gonna see a lot of yards and points.

ADVANTAGE: SLIGHT TO UNC

WHEN CLEMSON HAS THE BALL

The Clemson offense ran it well enough to win last week. What it didn’t do was make enough plays in the passing game. The Tigers passed it for just 99 yards, and 59 of those yards came on one play.

Through the first seven games, when the Clemson offense was humming along, quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was 137-for-204 (67.15 percent) for 1665 yards with 17 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. In the five games since, he’s 90-151 (59.6 percent) for 846 yards with 5 five touchdowns and five interceptions.

The Tigers had just five turnovers through the season’s first seven games (three fumbles and two interceptions), but have had 15 in the last five games (nine fumbles and six interceptions). That means the Tigers are -8 in the turnover margin since kickoff in the Syracuse game. That’s not winning football.

The good news is that UNC’s defense isn’t great, even though it’s played better in recent weeks. In fact, the Heels are 117th nationally in total defense and not very against the pass. But Clemson isn’t very good through the air, so….

ADVANTAGE: CLEMSON

SPECIAL TEAMS

Clemson’s special teams have been hit or miss, and it was the difference in punting that helped put South Carolina over the top last week. The Tigers also had a big fumble on a punt return. BT Potter has been outstanding all season. UNC punter Ben Kiernan, at over 46 yards per punt, would easily lead the ACC in punting if he had enough attempts to qualify. Kicker Noah Burnette is 12-for-16 on field goals. The Heels also have dangerous return weapons in Downs and Cam’Ron Kelly.

ADVANTAGE: SLIGHT TO UNC

WHAT WILL HAPPEN

This is a hard one to figure out. UNC has lost two in a row, at home, since clinching the ACC Coastal. The offense hasn’t been quite as sharp, and the defense has let third-string and fourth-string quarterbacks beat them. Clemson hasn’t played particularly well this month, except against a bad Miami team. Something has to give, right? Maye has a big day, but so does the Clemson rushing attack.

Potter kicks Clemson into the Orange Bowl late.

FINAL SCORE: CLEMSON 31, UNC 30

More TigerNet picks

Mickey Plyler - The Roar 105.5 morning show host - 30-24 Clemson
Nikki Hood - Staff writer - 31-27 UNC
Brandon Rink - Associate editor - 30-27 Clemson
Tony Crumpton - Associate editor - 34-28 Clemson
Pigskin Prophet - 27-24 UNC
Ryan Kantor - Contributing Writer - 35-31 UNC
Ariana Pensy - TigerNet Intern - 28-27 Clemson

PREDICTION TRACKER

Game	Actual	David Hood	Plyler	Nikki Hood	Rink	Crumpton	Prophet	Kantor	Pensy
GT	41-10 CU	38-13 CU	33-9 CU	41-7 CU	33-10 CU	35-13 CU	34-7 CU	39-6 CU	-
Furman	35-12 CU	50-10 CU	51-10 CU	59-7 CU	45-3 CU	45-3 CU	49-6 CU	48-7 CU	-
La Tech	48-20 CU	37-14 CU	51-10 CU	59-10 CU	44-13 CU	45-13 CU	45-10 CU	45-10 CU	38-10 CU
Wake	51-45 CU 2OT	37-27 CU	38-27 CU	34-20 CU	38-24 CU	31-24 CU	37-23 CU	31-24 CU	56-28 CU
NC State	30-20 CU	30-21 CU	31-21 CU	30-17 CU	27-20 CU	28-20 CU	34-17 CU	31-24 CU	37-34 CU
BC	31-3 CU	37-13 CU	37-17 CU	31-14 CU	41-17 CU	35-13 CU	41-16 CU	42-14 CU	42-10 CU
FSU	34-28 CU	27-17 CU	31-17 CU	30-14 CU	31-21 CU	31-20 CU	35-20 CU	31-21 CU	34-13 CU
Syracuse	27-21 CU	35-21 CU	37-16 CU	38-14 CU	37-23 CU	34-17 CU	34-20 CU	31-21 CU	37-20 CU
Notre Dame	35-14 ND	34-20 CU	28-13 CU	24-10 CU	28-20 CU	27-17 CU	27-16 CU	30-17 CU	37-20 CU
Louisville	31-16 CU	23-17 CU	27-20 CU	17-10 CU	27-21 CU	28-24 CU	27-24 CU	27-24 CU	30-17 CU
Miami	40-10 CU	41-14 CU	38-13 CU	31-10 CU	38-17 CU	31-17 CU	33-16 CU	38-10 CU	35-14 CU
SC	31-30 SC	40-17 CU	38-17 CU	41-10 CU	34-19 CU	31-17 CU	34-16 CU	30-17 CU	37-24 CU
UNC	39-10 CU	31-30 CU	30-24 CU	31-27 UNC	30-27 CU	34-28 CU	27-24 UNC	35-31 UNC	28-27 CU
Points	-	15	13	14	11	15	12	14	13

* Points: 3 pts for best correct prediction of the week (tiebreaker is Clemson score), 2 pts for picking score exactly, 1 pt for picking the correct winner