With the regular season behind them, only one game stands between Clemson football and the road to yet another National Championship.
Saturday’s matchup between Clemson and Virginia will mark the 48th meeting between the two programs and the first neutral site meeting since the 1971 Tobacco Bowl in Richmond, VA. However, there’s much more on the line for both of these teams as the 2019 season nears its end.
Virginia, with an Orange Bowl opportunity likely even in the case of a loss, hope to make an even greater name for themselves with a victory over No. 3 Clemson. However, head coach Dabo Swinney and his Tigers hope to solidify their playoff case with a second win over a top 25 opponent.
Here’s how to watch it all go down this weekend:
Date: Saturday, Dec. 7
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Charlotte, N.C.
Venue: Bank of America Stadium
TV: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Keys to Victory
For Virginia, their chances in this game begin and end with quarterback Bryce Perkins. While the senior hasn’t been particularly efficient with the football this season, he leads the team in both passing and rushing yards and has been the focal point of this offense for the entire year. Despite a somewhat bleak outlook, Perkins remains Virginia’s best shot at upsetting the Tigers.
Clemson has looked great this season, but they’ve faced little adversity outside of wins over Texas A&M and North Carolina. With Virginia unlikely to go down without a fight, we could get a good look at how this team responds to such a challenge. The Tigers have all of the tools necessary to pull out a win, so a well-executed gameplan should be enough to get the job done.
Betting Odds
Odds provided by The Action Network
Point Spread: Clemson -28.5
Over/Under: 57.5
Prediction
The spread above clearly portrays the common consensus in regard to Clemson’s dominance this season. Don’t be surprised if Virginia hangs around for a while (they’re ranked No. 23 in the country for a reason), but a much more talented and experienced Clemson team should have a handle on the game when all is said and done.
Final Score: Virginia 23, Clemson 41