ESPN predicts the final score of Clemson football vs. North Carolina

The Clemson Tigers open conference play with a matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels in Week 3 of the 2026 college football season. Clemson (1-1) is coming off a 22-7 win over Georgia Southern in the Tigers' home opener last Saturday. While the offense struggled to finish off drives and reach

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What is the story about?

The Clemson Tigers open conference play with a matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels in Week 3 of the 2026 college football season.

Clemson (1-1) is coming off a 22-7 win over Georgia Southern in the Tigers' home opener last Saturday. While the offense struggled to finish off drives and reached the red zone just four times, Nolan Hauser tied a career high with five field goals. He made three in the second quarter and added a pair of 50-yard kicks in the fourth.

Freshman Tait Reynolds took over at quarterback following an injury to Christopher Vizzina on the Tigers' third offensive series. He averaged 6.6 yards per completion and finished 16 of 27 for 178 yards. Reynolds, a four-star recruit from Queen Creek, Arizona, will make his first

career start Saturday.

North Carolina (2-0) defeated East Tennessee State, 35-3, in Week 2 in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels amassed 427 total yards behind quarterback Billy Edwards Jr.'s 244 through the air. UNC also rushed for 161 yards, including three touchdown runs from sophomore running back Demon June.

Clemson defeated North Carolina, 38-10, at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill in the first head-to-head matchup between coaching legends Dabo Swinney and Bill Belichick last year. This time around, the Tar Heels seem to be on the rise after opening their season with a 15-10 upset of TCU.

Will Clemson beat North Carolina, or will UNC get off to a surprising 3-0 start in Year 2 under Belichick?

Will Clemson football beat North Carolina in ACC opener?

Ahead of Clemson-North Carolina, ESPN's Bill Connelly predicted the final score using his popular SP+ metrics. Connelly has the Tigers winning narrowly, which is in line with what oddsmakers are saying.

His final score prediction: Clemson 25, North Carolina 21.

Connelly gives Clemson a win probability of 60%.

Where Clemson football sits in ESPN SP+ rankings entering Week 3

Clemson is No. 40 in the ESPN SP+ team rankings, up 10 spots from this time last week.

The Tigers have an overall rating of 8.1, up from 5.2 a week ago. Clemson is one spot below the Maryland Terrapins (8.7) and one spot ahead of ACC rival NC State (8.0) in ESPN's team rankings.

To break down Clemson's rating by units, SP+ gives the Tigers a 27 rating on offense (No. 66 nationally) and a 19.2 rating on defense, which is 25th nationally and is up 13 spots from before the Tigers' win over Georgia Southern. In special teams, Clemson is given a 0.3 rating, which ranks 41st in the nation.

North Carolina is No. 51 in the SP+ team rankings with an overall rating of 6.4, which is one spot behind Oklahoma State (6.7) and one spot ahead of Kentucky (6.2). The metrics give the Tar Heels a 25.5 rating on offense (No. 76 nationally) and a 19.5 rating on defense that's No. 33 in the nation.

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. North Carolina: start time, channel for Week 3

TV channel, commentators for Clemson football vs. North Carolina

📸 Bob Donnan, Bob Donnan-Imagn Images https://t.co/5roRJkJgXi pic.twitter.com/8nfrxJKuLz
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) September 16, 2026

Kickoff for Clemson-North Carolina in Week 3 of the 2026 college football season is noon ET Saturday at Clemson Memorial Stadium. The game can be seen on ESPN. Bob Wischusen and Louis Riddick will have the call of the game. Stormy Buonantony will report from the sidelines.