ACC Championship Game Preview: SMU Mustangs vs Clemson Tigers

After a long 14 weeks of the 2024 college football regular season, the Clemson Tigers meet the SMU Mustangs in Charlotte for the ACC Championship.

Clemson finished the regular season at 9-3, and they snuck into the conference title game thanks to a Syracuse win over Miami last Saturday.

Syracuse head coach Fran Brown shouted out head coach Dabo Swinney after the win:

https://x.com/awfulannouncing/status/1863018069045494245

Clemson’s hopes of making the playoffs were reduced after their home loss to No. 15 South Carolina by a score of 17 to 14 last week.

The Tigers are led by junior quarterback Cade Klubnik, whose 29 passing touchdowns ties for fourth in the FBS and has only 5 interceptions on the season.

Sophomore defensive end TJ Parker has been a disruptor for the Tiger defense, and his 10 sacks are third in the ACC and tied for 11th in the FBS.

Sophomore cornerback Avieon Terrell has been shutting things down in the secondary this season with nine pass deflections and two interceptions.

Clemson is 0-1 in neutral site games this season with a loss to Georgia by a score of 34 to 3. The Tigers are 8-1 in ACC Championship games under Dabo Swinney.

SMU officially moved into the ACC this year, and their first season did not disappoint as they went 8-0 in conference play.

Alabama caused some controversy among college football fans as they might be favored to be let into the field over SMU if the Mustangs lose on Saturday:

https://x.com/JTalty/status/1864111067653157352

SMU is currently on a nine-game winning streak after an 18-15 home loss to BYU in Week 2.

The Mustangs have boasted two ranked wins this season, with a 34-27 road victory over then-No. 22 Louisville and then a 48-25 home win over then-No. 18 Pitt.

SMU running back Brashard Smith has contributed heavily to the team’s success in their inaugural season in the ACC with 1,157 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.

The Mustangs have been able to score time and again this season, as their 39.2 points per game ranks second in the ACC.

Four SMU players have multiple interceptions, including safety Jonathan McGill with three picks and six pass deflections.

The Mustangs have been stout on defense this season, leading the ACC in lowest points per game allowed with 19.8.

SMU has 12 conference titles, with 11 of them being Southwest Conference championships from 1923 to 1984. The Mustangs have one American Athletic Conference title, and it was in 2023.

In a game with lots of College Football Playoff implications, this game should go down to the wire. Both teams have shown that they can win big games, but now it’s time for it to be shown on the big stage.

Bryan Portney is a first-year broadcast journalism major. To contact him, email bep5295@psu.edu.