Clemson Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2020
Pick Analysis. Clemson (S.C.). 3. player. Scouting Report. Sept. 19. Akron Zips. 2245
For Clemson’s first non-conference game of the season, they will welcome the Akron Zips to Death Valley. Akron is coming off of a miserable 2019 season, in which it did not win a single game and enter the season on a 17-game losing streak. This is exactly the kind of game that Clemson will need after facing two conference foes to start the season.
The biggest thing for Clemson in this game is dominating early and then getting your star players out of there and exit the game with no injuries. This would be a good game for Clemson to try and insert a backup quarterback and find out who is going to be No. 2 to Trevor Lawrence this season, because that is a question with Chase Brice transferring to Duke.
Clemson will win this game by as much as they’d like.
Final Score: Clemson 70, Akron 3 (3-0)
Clemson (S.C.). Virginia Cavaliers. 4. player. 888. Pick Analysis. Sept 26. Scouting Report
In a rematch of last year’s ACC championship, Virginia will face Clemson in the regular season since 2013, when the Tigers won in a blowout 59-10. Virginia will be losing a lot of key pieces from last year’s squad, including versatile quarterback Bryce Perkins and cornerback Bryce Hall. This will mark the end of a tough September for the Cavaliers, as they will also face Georgia to start the season on Labor Day.
Bronco Mendenhall has done an admirable job in rebuilding the Virginia football program. He inherited a bit of a mess from the previous coach Mike London, but he has transformer them into a physical football team with an identity similar to his former teams that he coached at BYU.
Virginia will find a way to win games with so many key players missing, but this won’t be one of them. Clemson wins easily.
Final Score: Clemson 49, Virginia 17 (4-0, 3-0)