The Clemson Tigers have been one of the most consistent teams in the nation this season and now the number three ranked team in the AP Top 25 will be on the road for the first time in a few weeks as they travel to the Carrier Dome to play the Syracuse Orange in an ACC conference matchup.
The Tigers have been one of the most explosive offensive teams in the nation this season and they have won four straight games while averaging over 40 points per contest. The team has gotten some fantastic play from quarterback Tajh Boyd, who is turning himself into a Heisman candidate and he is coming off a game where he gained over 350 total yards, including 311 yards passing in a win over Wake Forest. The team opened the season with a dramatic win over Georgia and the team has won three straight games since then, including a win over NC State on the road.
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Clemson has a tough home game next week against Boston College and then the team will play against Florida State in a huge game that could decide the ACC. The Seminoles have been excellent this season and this game could be the toughest for the Tigers since opening against Georgia and it should be another top 10 matchup. The team then will head on the road for two games against Maryland and Virginia and then they will have two home games against Georgia Tech and the Citadel before a huge rivalry game to end the season against South Carolina.
The team is playing some great ball on offense, averaging over 400 total yards per game while ranking 17th in the nation in passing yards with over 300 yards per game. The team has been averaging nearly 200 yards rushing and the team has been one of the highest scoring in the conference, averaging 43 points per game over the first four games, including scoring 50 points against Wake Forest and South Carolina State. Boyd is ranked second on the Tigers in rushing and he has passed for nine touchdowns with nearly 1,000 yards already this season.
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Syracuse comes into the game on a winning streak after winning against Wagner and Tulane while scoring over 100 combined points while allowing just 17, but the team is 2-2 this season after opening losses to Penn State and Northwestern. The team will have to play some great defense to stop Clemson and the team is opening its ACC football conference schedule with the Tigers. The team will play four of their next five games on the road after hosting Clemson, with NC State, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Florida State coming with Wake Forest in the middle.
The Florida State game will be a huge matchup and the team will finish the year while staying at home against Pitt and Boston College. The team has a tough finish to the season with those games and the Florida State matchup will have conference implications for both. The team is averaging over 400 yards per game this season and is averaging over 260 passing yards per game. The Orange have recovered nicely from losing Doug Marrone and Ryan Nassib to the NFL and they are averaging over 30 points per game this season while allowing 22 points per game on defense.