ACC Football – UNC vs Clemson Preview

This should have been one of the biggest games of the college football season.
Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers vs Bill Belichick rolling Tar Heels. Instead, Clemson has a gut-punch 1-3 start, and North Carolina has been flat-awful ever since the first drives against TCU.  

A College Football Playoff contender heading into 2025, the Tigers have dropped three of their first four games, only beating Troy (and failing to cover) this season.  Clemson’s playoff hopes are likely already done, but it is favored by two touchdowns in Week 6 against a UNC team that has struggled against any real competition in 2025. The Tar Heels have wins over Charlotte and Richmond, but they scored a combined 23 points in losses to TCU and UCF. It’s been a rough 2025 season for both programs, and one has to wonder how long the Belichick experiment will last at UNC if the team underperforms throughout the campaign.

But there’s hope. The Tar Heel schedule isn’t awful while Virginia is tough, every game the rest of the way is winnable. For Clemson after going to Boston College, four of the next five games are in Death Valley. Clemson is 0-2 in the conference and North Carolina is kicking off the conference schedule. 

Why Clemson Will Win

The North Carolina offense really, isn’t working.
It has nice parts, and it should be far more explosive, but it can’t get up and going with no passing game to count on.

It’s one of the worst attacks in the nation at coming up with first downs, and the ground game is struggling.  Clemson’s issues are on the offensive side. The defense hasn’t been a brick wall, but they have been fine.

Why North Carolina Will Win

It’s not like the Clemson offense is ripping it up.
There are things missing from the days when Clemson was in the middle of the national title discussion every season. The defensive isn’t as nasty, the talent among the coaching staff isn’t the same, and this offense need consistent deep threats.  That’s where the portal would normally come in missing the guys who can take the top off a defense. For all of North Carolina’s problems, it’s not getting hammered too hard down the field, and that’s fine. 

Who will show up on offense?

Somehow, a Bill Belichick defense is awful against the run. It’s not statistically awful, but that’s because Charlotte and Richmond are thrown into the equation. TCU is still running.
Clemson won’t do anything crazy. After the time off, the attack will keep the chains moving, take it one play at a time, and everyone will do their job.

Prediction

Clemson 30, North Carolina 17

Clemson should win the game. They are at home and they are the better team. The Tigers will provide enough offense to win convincingly and comfortably while UNC will probably be leading early in this game before not keeping up in the second half. If UNC is able to keep up into the second half and Clemson plays like the Troy game, this prediction could be wrong.