UNC comes off its first bye week of the season with a stern test at home, as reigning ACC champions Clemson will visit Kenan Stadium Saturday afternoon for the first time since 2019.
The Tigers have themselves been mired in a challenging start to the season. After being ranked No. 4 in the AP’s preseason poll, Clemson has lost three of its first four games, two of which came at home. Like UNC, Clemson enjoyed a bye week last weekend.
Here’s more on the Tigers:
Head coach: Dabo Swinney. The coaching face of the ACC for years now, Swinney has been the most successful coach in Clemson history by most metrics. He has won nine conference titles in his 18 seasons at the helm (two of which came at the expense of the Tar Heels) and led the Tigers to a pair of national championships. He is also 6-1 in his career against UNC, having won the last six meetings after dropping the first in the 2010 season. Of those six Clemson wins, only two were decided by one possession.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney looks on in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Syracuse, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
What’s the history? Clemson and UNC have met a total of 60 times, with the Tigers holding a decisive 40-19-1 edge in the series. As mentioned above, Clemson has won the last six meetings dating back to 2011. Saturday’s game will be just the second between the two played in Chapel Hill since the last UNC win in 2010. Carolina holds an 11-16-1 overall record in home games against the Tigers.
Stoppable force vs. stoppable force: Saturday’s game will be a meeting of two of the worst offenses in the nation. UNC and Clemson rank 15th and 17th, respectively, in the ACC in scoring offense, with the Tigers being the only team in the league averaging fewer than 20 points per game. The Tigers are slightly better in total offense, as their 365 total yards per game still far outpaces UNC’s paltry 263, comfortably the worst in the league. Neither team is particularly efficient through the air (Clemson 12th in the ACC, UNC 17th) or on the ground (Clemson 11th, UNC 12th). Both teams are also dreadful on third-down attempts: Clemson converts just 36 percent of its third downs (101st in FBS football) while UNC sits at 34.7 percent (107th).
Welcome to the Klub: Despite all of Clemson’s offensive struggles, Dabo Swinney is still loyal to quarterback Cade Klubnik. A former blue-chip recruit from Texas, Klubnik has been Clemson’s full-time starter since 2023. Ironically enough, Klubnik originally burst onto the scene against the Tar Heels, when he replaced starter D.J. Uiagaleilei early in the 2022 ACC Championship and tore apart the Carolina defense. Klubnik completed 20 of 24 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown while adding another touchdown on the ground in a 39-10 Tiger victory.
Klubnik’s 2024 season was by far his best as a Tiger, as the then-junior threw 36 touchdowns against just six interceptions. But through four games in 2025, Klubnik has nearly equaled his 2024 total by throwing four interceptions already. His completion percentage is also hovering at a career-worst 60.1 percent.
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik has been the Tigers’ full-time starter since the 2023 season. (Image via Associated Press/Jacob Kupferman)
What are the odds? As of publication Tuesday morning, Clemson is a 13.5-point favorite in the game.
Featured image via Associated Press/Jacob Kupferman
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