TLDR: Two unranked ACC teams that each think they're better than their record meet at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, October 24, and the early board can barely split them. Virginia Tech has the offense that's been putting up points. Clemson has the defense and the home field, and still doesn't know who its quarterback will be.
Virginia Tech (5-2) brings an offense that has scored 33 or more in 3 of its last 5 games to Clemson (4-2), whose defense has been stingy except for a 41-point game by Miami. Clemson's quarterback situation decides a lot: freshman Tait Reynolds has started since Christopher Vizzina's elbow injury, and Vizzina's return is still unclear. Both teams are dealing with injuries at skill positions or in the secondary, and the early board sees it as close to a toss-up.
−Freshman Tait Reynolds at QB; Vizzina's elbow unresolved
−Miami put up 41 at Memorial Stadium
−RBs Eziomume and Streko both out for the season
Start with the Clemson quarterbacks, because that decides more of this game than anything else. Christopher Vizzina opened the season as the starter and hurt his elbow in the first half of the Week 2 win over Georgia Southern. Since then the job has belonged to freshman Tait Reynolds. Going into the Charleston Southern game, Dabo Swinney said Vizzina "isn't 100% yet" but had "his best week of practice since the injury." The injury report still lists him as out with no timetable. So it's either a second straight week of a freshman running the offense, or a starter coming back from an elbow injury with almost no game reps since early September.
Quarterback isn't the only hole Clemson has patched. Starting nickel Corian Gipson tore up his knee against Miami and is done for the year, so Auburn transfer Donovan Starr takes over the slot. Running backs Demonte Eziomume and P. Streko are both out for the season too. There's some help coming back on the defensive line: tackle Kourtney Kelly, who tore his ACL in the spring, was expected to make his Clemson debut against Charleston Southern. Even with all those absences, the early market has this close to a coin flip, with the road team a slight favorite.
That slight lean toward Virginia Tech comes from the offense. The Hokies scored 35 at Maryland, 33 against Pitt and 34 against Georgia Tech, so 3 of their last 5 games had 33 or more. The problem is the 2 games in the middle. They lost a 35-33 shootout to Pitt at home, then went to California and lost 25-20. Beating Georgia Tech 34-24 at home got them back on track, but at 2-2 in the ACC they don't have room for another loss in the conference race.
Cal is the one opponent both teams have played. Clemson went to Berkeley and won 24-10. Virginia Tech went there and lost by 5. That's a single game for each team, but it shows the matchup well: Clemson's defense has held 3 of its last 5 opponents to 10 points or fewer, including the 37-0 shutout of Charleston Southern. The exception is a bad one. Miami came into Memorial Stadium and won 41-13, and that's the defense Virginia Tech's offense will be trying to copy.
Virginia Tech has its own injury problems at receiver. Stuewe was ruled out with an undisclosed injury and no timetable, and Peterkin has been dealing with a foot injury. Those are the players the Hokies would want to line up against a new nickel. The early forecast calls for clear skies, 68 degrees and light wind, so weather shouldn't be a factor. This looks like a game decided by Clemson's quarterback and Virginia Tech's receivers, and neither question will be answered until close to kickoff.
Virginia Tech vs. Clemson: Polymarket Odds & Prediction (Oct. 24) — Virginia Tech Visits Clemson With the Tigers' Quarterback Picture Still Murky · Barstool Bush
Charleston Southern37-0
