ACC Championship Game: Clemson Faces New-Comer SMU

SMU faces Clemson for the ACC championship at 8 p.m. Saturday.

No. 17 Clemson (9-3) will take on No. 8 SMU (11-1). The Tigers are 7-1 in the conference with their only loss being Louisville. Their other losses came from non-conference matchups, Georgia and rival South Carolina last weekend. The Mustangs only loss of the entire season was to a non-conference BYU.

Teams Must Secure Win To Make CFP

Clemson was able to sneak their way into the ACC championships after Miami was defeated by Syracuse last weekend.  However, Clemson needs this win on Saturday if they want to make it into the college football playoffs.

https://twitter.com/ACCFootball/status/1864055760453505134

If SMU wins this ACC Championship game, they will for sure make it into the college football playoffs. However, if they lose this game to the Tigers, they still have a chance of making it into the playoffs, but they also could be left out.

SMU is in the playoffs as of right now. Coach Rhett Lashlee discusses the potential downside of playing for this ACC title:

We talked to SMU coach Rhett Lashlee, who said coaches might want to avoid conference title games if the Mustangs get dropped out of the College Football Playoff field if they lose the ACC title game to Clemson. https://t.co/t9Nsc8dF6d pic.twitter.com/nnPf1KyRLk

— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) December 4, 2024

Key Players

Since SMU has switched to quarterback Kevin Jennings, they have not lost a game. Jennings has been a key factor in the Mustangs 8-0 conference record. They have also scored at least 28 points in every game since he started.

https://twitter.com/theACCDN/status/1864346660840616304

Clemson quarterback, Cade Klubnik is ranked 12th in the college football quarterback rankings. He is determined to lead Clemson to another ACC championship win and the CFP.

https://twitter.com/theACCDN/status/1864341293373030826

Where to Watch

The ACC Championship will be played at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, and can also be watched on ABC.