Clemson fell out of the championship hunt early last season, suffering a costly opening loss to Georgia and a double-overtime upset to NC State in Week 4.
Without a marquee matchup scheduled early this season, the Tigers could stay in the 2022 College Football Playoff picture far longer. While last year’s proverbial trap game struck in September, a tricky test could trip them up closer to the finish line.
Will Backus of 247Sports assessed each ACC squad’s biggest trap game of the season. For the Tigers, he sees their Palmetto Bowl bout against the South Carolina Gamecocks as a potential hazard point to conclude the regular season.
The Tigers draw their heated in-state rival after a three-game stretch that includes a road trip to Notre Dame and a home draw against a much-improved Miami. If things go as planned for Clemson, it could be looking ahead to the ACC Championship. South Carolina, meanwhile, has tons of momentum under coach Shane Beamer and might find its way inside the top 25 at some point next season with a stacked defense and an offense stocked with stars through the transfer portal. Since 2013, Clemson has beat South Carolina by more than one possession all but three times. Expect that to change this year, with the Gamecocks having a real shot at winning.
In 2013, No. 6 Clemson lost to No. 10 South Carolina. While it marked the Gamecocks’ fifth straight victory over the Tigers, they haven’t defeated their foe in seven ensuing tries.
Of those last seven matchups, Clemson has prevailed with an average victory margin of 26 points. They haven’t played a close encounter since Clemson preserved a 37-32 victory over the Gamecocks in 2015. After side-stepping the near trap, the top-ranked Tigers maintained their undefeated record that season before losing the National Championship game to Alabama.
Clemson is scheduled to face South Carolina on November 26, its 12th and final game of the regular season. If Backus’s scenario unfolds, Dabo Swinney’s squad could be riding high and looking forward to brighter horizons.
For their sake, hopefully they’ll beware the trap.
The post College Football Analyst Names Clemson’s “Trap” Game appeared first on The Spun.