Ranking Clemson football's 2024 opponents

Tony Elliott and Dabo Swinney reunite on the field in October when Virginia comes to Death Valley.

by Grayson Mann - Correspondent - Thu Jul 11 09:43:17 GMT-05:00 2024

Here comes football season.

Clemson’s matchup with Georgia is rapidly approaching.

The Tigers’ 2024 schedule will be closely examined in the coming weeks. Certain games will be viewed as easy matchups, and others will be scrutinized up to the first kickoff.

This ranking will go from the easiest matchup to the top spot. These 12 teams are judged based on recent history, 2023 success, and location, among other factors.

Clemson 2024 schedule countdown

12) The Citadel Bulldogs

2023 Record: 0-11 (0-9 Southern)

The Bulldogs are Clemson’s lone FCS team on the 2024 schedule. Any other ranking would be bordering on ridiculous, so we won’t test those waters.

The Tigers briefly struggled with Charleston Southern out the gate with some wacky turnovers, but the Bulldogs should pose virtually no threat on Military Appreciation Day.

11) Stanford Cardinal

2023 Record: 3-9 (2-7 PAC-12)

Clemson’s first matchup with the ACC’s newest kids on the block starts with Stanford. The memories of the Cardinal competing for a shot at the Rose Bowl are long gone.

Stanford also enters this matchup with Clemson with back-to-back trips on the East Coast, starting with Virginia Tech. The Tigers will be on their third game of an early home stretch.

This has all the ingredients for an intriguing matchup based on conference storylines, but the product on the field will tell a different narrative.

10) Virginia Cavaliers

2023 Record: 3-9 (2-6 ACC)

The Tony Elliott era in Virginia is off to a tough start.

In two years of play on the field behind Elliott’s offensive leadership, the Cavaliers have more than struggled to put together anything displaying consistency.

Since Elliott was hired, the Cavs have averaged an offense that is 110th in the country, and it is tough to imagine things will change in year three. Add to that this being an October home game after a two-game road trip, and the Tigers should easily take care of business.

9) Pittsburgh Panthers

2023 Record 3-9 (2-6 ACC)

Clemson fans may shudder with uncomfortable chills when thinking of prior matchups with the Panthers. The shovel passes to James Conner -- the meltdown on the road in 2021.

The Panthers have had a decent track record against the Tigers in the past, but 2024 should tell a different story.

Pat Narduzzi’s squad fell off the map in 2023, posting one of the worst offenses in the nation, ranking 116th of 133 eligible units.

A road trip to Pittsburgh after a trip to Blacksburg may be daunting on paper, but the Tigers should take care of business late into the year.

8) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

2023 Record: 4-8 (1-6 ACC)

The post-Sam Hartman era for Wake Forest did not pan out positively.

The Demon Deacons appeared to be on the right track with a 3-0 start but quickly fell off the rails, missing a bowl game in the process.

Wake gave Clemson a tough battle in 2023, holding the Tigers to only 17 points. However, the Tigers' trip to Winston-Salem should not cause many problems, especially when stacked against the rest of Clemson’s conference schedule.

7) Virginia Tech Hokies

2023 Record: 7-6 (5-3 ACC)

Next to South Carolina, the Hokies’ were the most difficult to rank.

On paper, nothing about the Hokies particularly jumps off the page as dangerous, but a trip to Blacksburg in November is certainly a recipe for an upset.

The stakes for Clemson’s season could be at an all-time high heading into November, with this game potentially swinging a record that’s either impressive or disappointing.

6) South Carolina Gamecocks

2023 Record: 5-7 (3-5 SEC)

This may be the most controversial ranking on the list, especially with who comes right after.

The Gamecocks are an interesting team in 2024, and not for the right reasons. Shane Beamer’s 2024 class may prove formidable, but it also might not be enough to compensate for lost offensive production.

The Gamecocks lost Spencer Rattler and Xavier Leggette to the NFL Draft and Mario Anderson to the transfer portal. South Carolina’s offensive roster includes many young players who will be asked to carry a lot on their shoulders. Against a vicious Clemson defense, South Carolina’s veterans proved ineffective.

Back home in Clemson, with a 2022 home loss to avenge, there could be a tough conversation in November for the Garnet and Black.

5) Appalachian State Mountaineers

2023 Record: 9-5 (6-2 Sun Belt)

This one may be vaulted on the “Freezing Cold Takes” X page, but I’ll stand with this ranking until a result tells me otherwise.

History tells us to take the Mountaineers seriously. Clemson should do no different. App State is no pushover in the Tigers’ home opener, especially coming off a duel with the Georgia Bulldogs.

The Mountaineers' iconic moment against Michigan isn’t the only historic upset many college football fans remember. Led by Chase Brice in 2022, App State traveled to College Station and upset Texas A&M, who was ranked No. 6 in the country at the time.

Now that Aggie team proved to be much worse than their initial ranking indicated, that doesn’t mean an upset in College Station is anything to gloss over.

The Tigers may be in danger of falling 0-2 to start 2024, and the Mountaineers are more than capable of delivering an early crushing blow.

4) Louisville Cardinals

2023 Record: 10-4 (7-2 ACC)

The last time the Cardinals came to Death Valley, Will Shipley hurdled a defender en route to a blowout victory.

This Cardinals unit should prove to be a more formidable challenge. Everyone remembers the underwhelming finish to the ACC season against Florida State, putting up an offensive performance against the Seminoles that might’ve factored into an undefeated Seminole team missing the College Football Playoff.

Regardless, the Cardinals’ added reinforcements, led by transfer QB Tyler Shough, should be enough to give the Tigers a tough late-season test.

3) North Carolina State Wolfpack

2023 Record: 9-4 (6-2 ACC)

A familiar conference rival kicks off the top three.

The Tigers and the Wolfpack have some history. Dating back to a missed kick in 2016, Clemson and North Carolina State have one of the most underrated rivalries in college football to date.

The teams' last four matchups are dead even at 2-2. The Wolfpack got the best of Clemson last fall, with MJ Morris taking down the Tigers late in the fourth quarter.

Once again, the Wolfpack, led by Dave Doeren, will be no pushover in 2024. Compared to the rest of Clemson’s ACC schedule, the Wolfpack pose a better roster and history with the Tigers to vault them into the top three.

With Clemson aiming to avenge a 2023 loss, the matchup with the Wolfpack will again have many eyes on it heading into October.

2) Florida State Seminoles

2023 Record: 13-1 (8-0 ACC)

If this list were based on storylines heading into certain matchups, the Seminoles’ dance with the Tigers would be at the top. Ignoring the legal noise surrounding these two teams, plenty on the field will be worthy of conversation.

Clemson will face its former prized quarterback, DJ Uiagalelei, who transferred to Oregon State in December 2022. Uiagalelei will also face his replacement (Cade Klubnik) for the first time, which makes this matchup fascinating.

Not only are the Seminoles boasting a very capable roster that could repeat as ACC Champions, but this team is also welcoming the Tigers to their house in Doak Campell.

Clemson is looking to avenge a 2023 home loss against a team loaded under Mike Norvell and would be the Tigers’ most daunting opponent if not for a certain opening matchup.

1) Georgia Bulldogs

2023 Record: 13-1 (8-0 SEC)

It's a shocking pick, I know.

The Bulldogs’ last meeting with the Tigers was headlined by a Uiagalelei pick-six, putting both programs on opposite tracks. One team won back-to-back national titles, and one is searching to get back into the postseason.

This team, led by Kirby Smart, is filled with talent from top to bottom and heads into 2024 with the feeling of needing to prove something. Some felt Georgia was one of the four best teams in the country and deserving of a spot in the playoffs last year, but a lone loss to Alabama kept them out.

A 63-3 Orange Bowl beatdown of the ACC Champion Seminoles only fueled the fire. For the Tigers to pull off the upset, they will need to be perfect in many areas.

A win against Georgia may not be make or break for Clemson’s playoff hopes, but the Atlanta opener will be quite the challenge to kick off the season.