By Dave Holcomb
SouthernPigskin.com

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Dave Holcomb previews Clemson and Florida State.

It has been more than a decade since a program other than Clemson or Florida State has won the ACC football championship. Unless the ACC gets really wacky in the final month of the season, that reign of dominance for the Seminoles and Tigers will come to an end.

Entering this weekend, Clemson and Florida State are a combined 5-4 in the ACC. Overall, they are a perfectly average 8-8. They are among the 11 ACC teams with two or three conference losses.

In other words, the Tigers and Seminoles have fallen to mediocrity. In some areas, they arent even average. Clemson is last in the ACC in yards and points scored. Florida State is tied for the most giveaways and the worst turnover margin in the conference.

From 2011-15, Clemson and Florida State finished in the top two positions of the Atlantic division standings every year. Six straight seasons (11-16), their matchup decided the winner of the division and thus the conference.

In 2021, their showdown could determine who avoids finishing in last place of the Atlantic.

To be fair, its not all doom and gloom for these two programs, especially Florida State. The Seminoles have won three straight, including a road matchup against North Carolina, since starting 0-4.

The turnaround has happened with Jordan Travis behind center. Hes posted 399 passing yards with five touchdowns and only one interception during the winning streak. Travis also has 315 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground in the last three games. He is averaging 7.5 yards per carry in October.

Clemson was expecting those kinds of numbers from D.J. Uiagalelei this season. After all, he posted a pair of 300-yard passing games and rushed for two touchdowns in two starts last year.

But this season has been a disaster for Uiagalelei and the Clemson offense. The unit has gone from first to worst in points scored in the ACC. Clemsons 20.0 points per game is seventh-worst among Power 5 programs this year. The Tigers are also in the bottom five of all Power 5 teams in yards per game.

Unlike Florida State, who leads the ACC in interceptions thrown, Uiagalelei has at least avoided giveaways for most of the season, but that changed last week against Pitt. He threw two picks and after the second one — somehow, Uiagalelei tossed a pick-six on a shovel pass — Dabo Swinney removed him from the game. However, the benching wasnt permanent, and Uiagalelei is the top quarterback on the Clemson depth chart this week.

The question entering Saturday is how much of a leash Uiagalelei will have against Florida State. Fellow sophomore signal caller Taisun Phommachanh played relatively well in relief, leading the Tigers on two scoring drives.

Quarterback is hardly the only issue for Clemsons offense. The Tigers continue to have too many drops, and the coaching staff still isnt doing enough to establish a running game.

In its three losses, Clemson has averaged 25.3 rushes. The defeat at Pitt last Saturday became lopsided after the pick-six in the third quarter, but the other two losses were one possession games. The Tigers have to stick to the ground game even if its not working particularly well to take pressure off the passing game.

Running back Kobe Pace has been one of the teams most consistent weapons. He had 201 rushing yards combined in wins against Boston College and Syracuse. But last week against Pitt, he only received seven carries and posted 33 yards.

Running the ball will be vital for Clemson this Saturday because Florida State will likely be able to do it and not just with Travis. The Seminoles are averaging 5.9 yards per carry this season and have posted at least 200 rushing yards in each of the last four games.

Florida State possesses a pair of young running backs both averaging more than 7.0 yards per attempt this season. Sophomore Jashaun Corbin is leading the way with 683 yards and five touchdowns. He also has 8.0 yards per carry this year.

Redshirt freshman Treshaun Ward isnt far behind with 419 rushing yards and 7.4 yards per rush. Together, Corbin and Ward will be aiming to end Clemsons five-game winning streak against Florida State, which is the longest for the Tigers in the 51-year history of this series.

Clemson has yet to play Wake Forest, so if the Tigers win their final three ACC games, they could still theoretically win the Atlantic division. But thats not likely, and any longshot hope of that happening evaporates with a Seminoles win this weekend.

Fortunately for Clemson and Florida State, the two programs behind them in the division standings — Syracuse and Boston College — play each other this Saturday. That means the loser of the Tigers-Seminoles showdown is guaranteed to avoid falling into a tie for last place in the Atlantic.

But that hardly seems like a consolation prize either of these two proud programs want.

Prediction: Florida State 20, Clemson 16