ESPN predicts the final score of Clemson football vs. Georgia Tech

The Clemson Tigers have one of the worst offenses in the country, and the statistics bear it out. Georgia Tech has one of the nation's worst defenses. Something will have to give when the teams collide in Week 11 of the 2026 college football season at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Clemson (6-3, 4-2 ACC)

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What is the story about?

The Clemson Tigers have one of the worst offenses in the country, and the statistics bear it out. Georgia Tech has one of the nation's worst defenses. Something will have to give when the teams collide in Week 11 of the 2026 college football season at Clemson Memorial Stadium.

Clemson (6-3, 4-2 ACC) ranks 116th among the 138 FBS programs in total offense with an average of 338 yards per game. The Tigers have thrown just four touchdown passes all season and are 105th nationally in scoring offense with 22.7 points per game.

Georgia Tech (2-7, 1-5), losers of its last five games entering Saturday's matchup in Death Valley, has a defense that ranks 123rd nationally in yards allowed (418.9 per game).

The Yellow Jackets were embarrassed in a 44-17 home

loss to Louisville last Saturday, a performance that led to head coach Brent Key demanding he was "damn pissed off" in his postgame press conference with reporters and and dismissing four staff members.

For as bad as it has been on offense, Clemson enters Week 11 mathematically alive for a spot in the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 5 in Charlotte. The Tigers are coming off an 18-13 win over Syracuse at JMA Wireless Dome thanks to a defense that forced two big takeaways.

Kourtney Kelly's hit on Steve Angeli forced the Syracuse quarterback to fumble, and Jahiem Lawson scooped it up and ran 22 yards for Clemson's only touchdown. Ashton Hampton picked off Angeli midway through the fourth quarter with the Orange at the Tigers' 3-yard line.

Georgia Tech, like Syracuse, was another team that stunned Clemson during the Tigers' disappointing 7-5 season in 2025. It was the Tigers' first loss to the Yellow Jackets since 2014. Will Dabo Swinney's team get back in the win column against its longtime ACC rival in Week 11?

Will Clemson football beat Georgia Tech? ESPN's final score prediction

Ahead of Clemson-Georgia Tech, ESPN's Bill Connelly predicted the final score using his popular SP+ metrics. Connelly has the Tigers winning pretty handily, which is in line with oddsmakers' 13.5-point spread favoring Clemson.

Connelly's final score prediction: Clemson 31, Georgia Tech 18.

He gives the Tigers a win probability of 81%.

Where Clemson sits in ESPN SP+ rankings entering Week 11

Clemson is No. 58 in ESPN's SP+ team rankings, down four spots from last week. The Tigers have an overall rating of 3.3, down from 3.7 a week ago. Clemson is one spot ahead of Cincinnati (3.0) and one spot below Oregon State (3.8) in ESPN's overall team rankings.

To break down Clemson's rating by unit, SP+ gives the Tigers a 22 rating on offense (No. 100 nationally, down seven spots from last week) and a 19.3 rating on defense, which is 28th nationally and is up two spots from before the Tigers' win at Syracuse. In special teams, Clemson has a 0.5 rating, which ranks 13th-best in the nation.

Georgia Tech is No. 99 in the SP+ team rankings with an overall rating of minus-8.1. It is one spot below Arkansas State and one spot ahead of Coastal Carolina. The metrics give the Yellow Jackets a 24.5 rating on offense that's No. 85 nationally, a 32.4 rating on defense that's No. 110, and a minus-0.3 rating in special teams that's 94th.

What are ESPN SP+ rankings?

According to Connelly, SP+ is "simply a measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football. If you're lucky or unimpressive in a win, your rating will probably fall. If you're strong and unlucky in a loss, it will probably rise."

"SP+ is not a résumé ranking, so it does not automatically give credit for big wins or particularly brave scheduling -- no good predictive system does," he adds.

Clemson football vs. Georgia Tech: start time, TV channel for ACC rivalry

Clemson’s Dabo Swinney unhappy with loss of conference championship games

📸 Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network , USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect https://t.co/0VZOKGVuQY pic.twitter.com/L5Dyxs6foE
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) November 12, 2026

Kickoff for Clemson-Georgia Tech in Week 11 of the 2026 college football season is 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Clemson Memorial Stadium. The game can be seen on The CW. Thom Brennaman and Jason Cabinda will have the call of the game. Wes Bryant will report from the sidelines.