2018 Clemson football schedule released |
Clemson’s complete 2018 football schedule was released by the ACC on Wednesday.
In a bid for a fourth-straight College Football Playoff appearance, Dabo Swinney’s Tigers open with Furman on Sept. 1 and then make the trip to Texas A&M on Sept. 8. Clemson and Texas A&M last met in 2005, a 25-24 Tigers win in Death Valley. Clemson last travelled to College Station’s Kyle Field in 2004, a 27-6 loss. Texas A&M hired former Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher in the offseason after going 7-6, concluding its regular season with a 55-52 loss to Wake Forest in the Belk Bowl. Clemson returns home to host Georgia Southern (2-10 record in 2017) on Sept. 15 in the schools' first meeting before opening ACC play, and wraps non-conference action going for a fifth-straight win over South Carolina on Nov. 24. In ACC play, the Tigers host Syracuse (Sept. 29), NC State (Oct. 20), Louisville (Nov. 3) and Duke (Nov. 17). Clemson travels to Georgia Tech (Sept. 22), Wake Forest (Oct. 6), Florida State (Oct. 27) and Boston College (Nov. 10). This is the sixth straight year Clemson has had its first league game on the road. Clemson has won at Georgia Tech just once since 2003 and the victory took place in 2016 during Clemson’s National Championship season. Clemson will not have consecutive home games until the last two games of the season, the first time that has happened since 1986 when the Tigers had just five home games. The schedule alternates home and away games for the first 11 games of the season, a first in school history. The Tigers will play all 12 of their regular season games on Saturdays for the first time since 2015 and for just the second time in the last seven years. The open date is on October 13, squarely in the middle of the schedule. Duke returns to the schedule for the first time since 2012, when the Tigers went to Durham and won 56-20. The Blue Devils, coming off of a 7-6 campaign, make their first trip to Death Valley since 2008 (a 31-7 Clemson win). Duke has not won at Clemson since 1980. Taking a look at the Atlantic Division, the Tigers have won consecutive games by seven points or less over NC State, the only ACC opponent to be within a touchdown of the Tigers each of the last two seasons. Clemson and Florida State meet in Tallahassee in a battle of the schools that have won each of the last nine Atlantic Division championships. Clemson has won each of the last three meetings, including last season’s 31-14 victory which clinched the division title. The Tigers have defeated Louisville all four years the Cardinals have been in the ACC, but three of the wins have been by a touchdown or less. Nov. 10 will be Clemson’s latest trip to Boston on the calendar since the Eagles joined the ACC in 2005. Clemson has won seven straight over the Eagles. The Tigers have won 10 straight games dating to 2011 in the state of North Carolina, including three ACC Championship games played in Charlotte. Eight of Clemson’s 11 FBS opponents scheduled played in bowl games last season. The ACC Championship Game will be held in Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 1. Clemson is set to return eight starters on defense, including all four on the defensive line, from a unit that ranked second in scoring defense. On offense, the Tigers are slated to return seven starters, including left tackle Mitch Hyatt, quarterback Kelly Bryant, receiver Hunter Renfrow and co-starters at running back in Tavien Feaster and Travis Etienne. 2018 Clemson football schedule Sept. 1 FURMAN Sept. 8 at Texas A&M Sept. 15 GEORGIA SOUTHERN Sept. 22 at Georgia Tech Sept. 29 SYRACUSE Oct. 6 at Wake Forest Oct. 20 NC STATE Oct. 27 at Florida State Nov. 3 LOUISVILLE Nov. 10 at Boston College Nov. 17 DUKE Nov. 24 SOUTH CAROLINA 2018 @ClemsonFB ACC opponents' weekend prior to their game vs. Clemson:
• GT - at Pitt
• SYR - UCONN
• WF - Rice
• NCS - Open (as is Clemson)
• FSU - WF
• LOU - WF
• BC - at VT
• Duke - UNC
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