Where CBS Sports ranks Clemson's 2023 schedule in the ACC

Clemson could have a Top 10 battle in Death Valley in September versus Florida State.

by TigerNet Staff - Thu Jun 29 12:59:29 GMT-04:00 2023

CBS Sports is doing a strength of schedule ranking series by conference and ranked Clemson's just inside the Top 5 of the league.

Clemson checks in at No. 5 according to CBS' Chip Patterson.

"It's at this point where I think the six teams between No. 5 and No. 10 in our rankings are almost interchangeable," Patterson said. "They all have some high-end difficulty and also a couple of games that make those challenging spots seem more manageable. For example, Clemson has Notre Dame, Florida State and North Carolina on the schedule, but all three of those games are at home. There is a tricky back-to-back road trip at Miami and at NC State in October, but the Tigers get their off week just before that. Ultimately, playing the annual South Carolina game on the road tipped the scales to push Clemson up to No. 5."

Not coincidentally, the Top 4 all face Clemson with Georgia Tech at No. 1, then Florida State, Duke and Wake Forest.

Georgia Tech's non-conference play features Georgia each season, hosting the back-to-back champ Bulldogs this year.

Florida State opens its season with a neutral site game against LSU in Orlando.

"The massive hype and expectations surrounding the Seminoles will be put to the test right away with games against LSU and Clemson in the first four weeks of the season," Patterson said. "Unfortunately for Florida State, neither of those contests occur within the friendly confines Doak Campbell Stadium. Additionally, there are potential road traps at Wake Forest and Pitt leading into the rivalry game against Miami. To top that all off, the 'Noles have a trip to Gainesville to take on rival Florida in the regular-season finale. The Seminoles have more depth than they've had in years, but getting to double-digit wins will be tougher than it was in 2022."

Former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott's Virginia program is at No. 11 on the list. They have a non-conference slate with a neutral site game in Nashville against Tennessee and a trip to Maryland to face the Terrapins.