Clemson schedule ranked second-toughest in ACC

CBS Sports this week released their annual strength of schedule rankings for every Power Four conference team.

In the ACC, Georgia Tech was ranked by college football analyst Chip Patterson with the most difficult strength of schedule in the league. Right behind Brent Key’s team at No. 2 is Clemson.

The Tigers face Georgia to open the season in Atlanta. The Bulldogs are likely to land at No. 1 in preseason polls and have been given the best shot at winning the national championship by oddsmakers. Clemson also has road trips to Florida State and Virginia Tech.

For their home slate, the Tigers will host an NC State team that seems more poised than ever to compete for the top spot in the league. Dabo Swinney’s team also hosts a resurgent Louisville program under second-year coach Jeff Brohm that climbed to No. 9 a year ago and finished as runner-up in the ACC.

Then there’s the Tigers’ annual rivalry with South Carolina. While the Gamecocks finished 5-7 in Shane Beamer’s third season in Columbia a year ago, the Gamecocks pulled off an upset in their last visit to Death Valley when Clemson was ranked No. 7 and still had an outside shot at the College Football Playoff.

Even the Tigers’ Group of Five opponent in Week 2 may not be a cakewalk, as Paterson noted.

“Clemson has often been a willing participant in high-profile kickoff games against quality competition, but this year there’s an added challenge as the Tigers follow up their opening weekend game against Georgia by welcoming Appalachian State, one of the Sun Belt favorites, to Death Valley,” Patterson noted.

Syracuse was ranked with the worst strength of schedule in the ACC in CBS Sports’ rankings. The Orange avoid both Clemson and Florida State in conference play this season.

Clemson’s season-opener is less than a month away. Kickoff from Mercedes-Benz Stadium is set for noon ET. The game will be televised nationally by ABC.

RELATED: Downloadable 2024 Clemson Tigers football schedule

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