ESPN predicts the final score of Clemson football vs. Florida State

The Clemson Tigers head into their annual ACC rivalry showdown against Florida State with some of the fewest prizes at stake for both teams since the two began playing on an annual basis. Dabo Swinney's Tigers visit Tallahassee for this year's matchup against the Seminoles in Week 9 of the 2026 coll

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What is the story about?

The Clemson Tigers head into their annual ACC rivalry showdown against Florida State with some of the fewest prizes at stake for both teams since the two began playing on an annual basis. Dabo Swinney's Tigers visit Tallahassee for this year's matchup against the Seminoles in Week 9 of the 2026 college football season.

Clemson (4-3, 2-2 ACC) and Florida State (3-4, 1-3), which have played every year since 1992 with the exception of 2020, are both at a crossroads. Neither program wants to move on from its coach and pay a hefty buyout, but neither team has shown very much on the field lately to offer hope.

The Tigers suffered a 20-16 gut-punch loss to Virginia Tech in Week 8. It marked Clemson's eighth in its last 10 games against a Power Four opponent

at home. The Tigers led for much of the second half until Ethan Grunkemeyer's game-winning 5-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-1 with 1:44 left.

Florida State came within a play or two of adding to the chaos that was college football's thrilling Week 7 slate. The Seminoles took Miami to double overtime before falling 43-35 at Hard Rock Stadium. FSU quarterback Ashton Daniels accounted for five touchdowns in the loss, including four through the air.

Clemson hasn't thrown four touchdowns all season. Tait Reynolds, the 19-year-old true freshman who was thrust into the starting job following an injury to Christopher Vizzina, is averaging just 6.1 yards per completion and has been sacked 20 times in seven games behind a weak offensive line.

Clemson ranks 115th nationally in total offense with 333.1 yards per game, which is last in the ACC. Florida State ranks 49th with 414.3 total yards per games.

Here's ESPN's prediction for Saturday's game.

Will Clemson football beat Florida State? ESPN's final score prediction

Ahead of Clemson-Florida State, ESPN's Bill Connelly predicted the final score using his popular SP+ metrics. Connelly has the Seminoles winning their first game against the Tigers at Doak Campbell Stadium since 2014. The oddsmakers' latest 5.5 spread favors FSU, as well.

Connelly's final score prediction: Florida State 27, Clemson 24.

He gives the Seminoles a win probability of 59%.

Where Clemson, Florida State sit in ESPN SP+ rankings entering Week 9 rivalry

Clemson is No. 55 in ESPN's SP+ team rankings, up one spot from last week despite the loss to Virginia Tech. The Tigers have an overall rating of 4.7, up from 4.0 a week ago. Clemson is one spot ahead of UCF in ESPN's overall team rankings.

To break down Clemson's rating by unit, SP+ gives the Tigers a 23.3 rating on offense (No. 97 nationally, up one spot from last week) and a 19.0 rating on defense, which is 25th nationally and is the same as before the Tigers' loss to the Hokies. In special teams, Clemson has a 0.5 rating, which ranks 10th-best in the nation.

Florida State is No. 54 in the SP+ team rankings with an overall rating of 5.8, one spot below Virginia and one ahead of Clemson. The metrics give the Seminoles a 32.7 rating on offense that's No. 32 nationally, a 27.1 rating on defense that's No. 76, and a 0.2 rating in special teams that's 43rd in the country.

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. Florida State: start time, TV channel for Week 9 rivalry

Dabo Swinney doesn’t regret Clemson not getting a QB in transfer portal

📸 Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network , USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co https://t.co/KCbXHTrJTp pic.twitter.com/3iIIVG5hq8
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) October 28, 2026

Kickoff for Clemson-Florida State in Week 9 of the 2026 college football season is 7 p.m. ET Saturday at Doak Campbelll Stadium in Tallahassee. The game can be seen on ACC Network. Wes Durham and Max Browne will have the call of the game. Madison Fitzpatrick will report from the sidelines.

The Clemson Athletic Network feed of the game featuring Tigers radio play-by-play voice Don Munson and analysts Tim Bourret and Jeff Scott can be heard on SiriusXM channel 258.