This story concludes a 12-part series in which we ranked NC State’s 2021 strength of schedule from the easiest opponent (No. 12) to the most challenging (No. 1).
Checking in at No. 1 is Clemson, the Wolfpack’s fourth opponent this fall.
The Pack is scheduled to face the Tigers in Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 25 at a time to be announced.
Head Coach: Dabo Swinney (14th season) — 140-32 overall (.814), 85-15 ACC (.850)
2020 Record: 10-2
2020 Results:
at Wake Forest — W, 37-13
The Citadel — W, 49-0
Virginia — W, 41-23
Miami — W, 42-17
at Georgia Tech — W, 73-7
Syracuse — W, 47-21
Boston College — W, 34-28
at Notre Dame — L, 47-40 (2OT)
Pittsburgh — W, 52-17
at Virginia Tech — W, 45-10
ACC Championship Game
Notre Dame — W, 34-10
College Football Playoff Semifinal
Ohio State — L, 49-28
Recruiting Rankings
2017 — 22nd
2018 — 8th
2019 — 9th
2020 — 2nd
2021 — 7th
2020 Season Review
Entering the third decade of the 21st century, Clemson is one of the perennial powers in college football. Until something changes in the pecking order, every season is now championship or bust for the Tigers.
By those standards, Clemson had a down year in 2020. For just the second time since the 2014 season, the Tigers lost more than one game. Clemson has won the ACC Atlantic Division and the ACC Championship game in each of the past six campaigns.
Any team in the ACC Atlantic Division that hopes to reach a conference championship game will have to find a way to get past the Tigers for the foreseeable future.
Even though last year may have been a disappointment for Clemson fans, the program still had a phenomenal season by normal standards. The Tigers still won the conference and finished third in the final Associated Press poll.
But 2020 was the last year in which Clemson would still have Trevor Lawerence at quarterback and Travis Etienne at running back, both of which went on to be first-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. That duo owned ACC Player of the Year honors in each of the past three seasons, with Etienne earning the title in 2018 and 2019 and Lawerence taking the award last season.
Clemson's one loss in the regular season, a one-score road defeat in double overtime to fellow College Football Playoff finalists Notre Dame, deserves at least the mention of an asterisk. The Tigers were without Lawerence, who missed the game due to COVID-19 protocols, and had to start true freshman D.J. Uiagalelei.
Clemson got its revenge against the Fighting Irish in a convincing win in the ACC Championship Game before losing to Ohio State in surprising fashion in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Did You Know?
•NC State is 28-59-1 against Clemson all-time. The Wolfpack lost to the Tigers 55-10 in 2019 in the last meeting between the two schools.
•Clemson has won 15 of the last 16 meetings between the two programs. NC State last defeated the Tigers in 2011 in a 37-13 victory in Carter-Finley Stadium.
•Last season marked the first since 1970 that the Textile Bowl, the annual meeting between NC State and Clemson, was not played.
2021 Preview
Clemson lost five offensive players to the 2021 NFL Draft, including former ACC Players of the Year Lawerence and Etienne, but will return one of the most talented defenses in the country.
The Tigers rank No. 65 among FBS teams in terms of overall returning production this season according to ESPN's Bill Connelly's SP+ metric. Clemson ranks 118th in returning offensive production and third in returning production on defense.
Uiagalelei will succeed Lawerence this fall as the starting quarterback for the Tigers. The 6-4, 250-pounder was a former five-star that was the top-ranked pro-style quarterback in the 2020 class according to Rivals.
In nine appearances last season, Uiagalelei completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 914 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 60 yards and four scores on 28 attempts.
In his two starts while Lawerence was in COVID-19 protocol in 2020, the true freshman completed 69.4 percent of his 85 pass attempts and averaged 390.5 yards and two touchdowns per contest.
Senior running back Lyn-J Dixon is the top returning rusher, producing 190 yards (4.5 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. Senior tight end Braden Galloway will be the top returning pass-catcher after reeling in 27 receptions for 369 yards and two touchdowns.
The Tigers also return 10 starters on defense, including seven All-ACC honorees.
Fifth-year senior linebacker Baylon Spector is back after leading Clemson in tackles (72) and sacks (4.5) last fall, and the Tigers also return their tackles for loss leader sophomore defensive end Myles Murphy (12.0).
Why No. 1 In The Countdown?
It wasn't a tough call to put Clemson at the top of this ranking. The Tigers are once again the favorite to win the ACC and are ranked No. 2 nationally in most preseason college football rankings.
Clemson will visit Carter-Finley Stadium in Week Four of the season in what will be NC State's conference opener. The meeting will also mark the ACC road opener for the Tigers, although the program will have faced Georgia on a neutral field and Georgia Tech at home before its meeting with the Wolfpack.
NC State is a consensus pick to finish second in the ACC Atlantic Division in the 2021 preseason college football preview magazines, so this game will receive a lot of attention from around the league. If Clemson's streak of six consecutive ACC Atlantic Division titles is set to come to an end this fall, this would likely be the game that makes the difference.
Expect Carter-Finley Stadium to be packed for what has the potential to be a primetime game on national television. A win by the Pack could make the difference between a great season and among the best in program history.
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