Florida State vs. Clemson College Football Week 10 Preview, TV Schedule, Prediction

TV Schedule: Saturday, November 7, 3:30 p.m. ET ABC

Stadium: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, S.C.

Line: Clemson (-12.5)

The Florida State Seminoles head up to Clemson to take on the Tigers in the biggest ACC game of the season. The winner will be in the driver’s seat for the Atlantic Division title and maybe a playoff spot (especially if it’s Clemson). The No. 17 ranked ‘Noles (7-1) want to continue to rule the ACC, but the No. 3 Tigers (8-0) feel like it’s their conference this season.

The big story is whether or not usual starting quarterback Everett Golson will start for FSU or not. He missed last week’s game with a concussion which led to Sean Maguire getting the start. Maguire was spectacular on the afternoon as he threw for over 300 yards and for three scores. According to the Tampa Bay Times, head coach Jimbo Fisher twice declined to answer whether a healthy Golson would get his job back. He also wouldn’t rule out a dual QB system. Personally, I don’t think a QB change will be much of a difference for the Seminoles; I actually may lean toward Maguire and his downfield passing ability being a plus for them.

The bigger question will be whether or not Dalvin Cook is able to go for FSU. He reportedly returned to practice this week so that is a positive sign for the star running back. Establishing the run and taking heat off of whoever plays QB is going to important for them. The QB should certainly make it an effort to get Travis Rudolph the ball after what he did last week, catching five balls for 191 yards and three touchdowns. FSU is going to need big plays to hang with the Tigers.

For Clemson, QB Deshaun Watson is really growing and becoming a complete player in his sophomore year. With over 1,900 passing yards and 20 touchdown passes this season, Watson has become a star. Fellow sophomore Wayne Gallman has been a breakout star at running back for the Tigers. Those two will look to take it to FSU and continue to establish themselves as the ACC’s best in 2015. It should be a higher scoring affair, so whoever can limit their mistakes and maximize their possessions should come out on top. This is the game where Watson does just that and throws himself into the Heisman conversation.

Florida State certainly isn’t as good as they’ve been the last few seasons and Clemson surely looks like they’ve gotten to another level, but the ‘Noles aren’t being given enough credit. I’m not saying they will surely win, but the spread for this game is a bit too high. More than 12 points for a rivalry game between two ranked teams is a bit much. The emotions will be running high. FSU will want to ruin Clemson’s playoff hopes and keep slim ones alive for themselves. Meanwhile Clemson knows if they get through this game they have a decent shot at running the table and getting voted into the playoffs. Will that motivate them or will that put too much pressure on them and cause a panic if things start going badly? In a week where a certain SEC game is getting all the love and attention, this ACC game should be a sneaky good one.

Prediction: Clemson 41, Florida State 34

Andrew Frosceno covers the New York Giants, college football, college basketball and MLB for www.Rantsports.com. You can follow him on Twitter, Google or Facebook.