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ACC QUESTION of the week: Is N.C. State Clemson’s biggest remaining obstacle on the path to an unbeaten regular season?
Strictly on paper, yes, North Carolina State is the best team Clemson is likely to face over the remainder of this season. When you think of the ingredients needed to pull off a significant upset, North Carolina State certainly has one of them: a seasoned upperclassman at quarterback — Ryan Finley — who can make the right reads and the proper responses to pressure-packed situations without flinching. There aren’t too many quarterbacks in the 2018 ACC who are playing at a supremely high level. Finley will get a chance to show that he can be that type of player, as the Wolfpack prepares for the backloaded second-half portion of its 2018 schedule.
North Carolina State also exhibits another trait of a team capable of pulling an upset: The Pack holds up well in the trenches. It is not a secret in the ACC that even without Bradley Chubb this season, North Carolina State is getting good performances out of its defensive front. Dave Doeren has found the right strength and conditioning coaches to create durability and stamina in his defensive linemen. This is how State can contain Clemson’s Travis Etienne, one of the very best players in the country.
One can see how much the ACC Coastal Division is struggling, and then note how much Florida State and Louisville are struggling. There aren’t many compelling choices left on Clemson’s schedule as potential upset threats. Florida State does get Clemson at home, and FSU will naturally treat that game as its 2018 Super Bowl, but the gap between the Seminoles and Clemson seems extremely large right now. Syracuse pushed Clemson in Death Valley… and Syracuse whacked Florida State. Can the Noles really say they have a better chance of toppling Clemson than N.C. State does? It is very hard to make that argument.
So, you’re sitting here probably thinking, “Okay. Matt says North Carolina State is the answer.”
Not so fast, my friend, as Lee Corso would say. I started this answer by saying “strictly on paper.”
Know what the REAL answer is?
It’s Clemson. CLEMSON is the biggest threat to its own ambitions. The Tigers will have to play poorly to lose to anyone in this year’s ACC. The Tigers aren’t likely to get beaten by an opponent which plays a picture-perfect game. Clemson will have to give its opponent a lot of help at the most important moments of a close game. North Carolina State IS the ACC team with the best chance of beating Clemson, but this question asked about the biggest OBSTACLE for the Tigers.
They only need to look in the mirror to identify that answer.
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