Clemson vs. SMU: How to watch, picks, odds for ACC Championship Game

Texas and Oregon aren’t the only teams making conference title games in their first seasons in a new league. SMU also pulled off the feat in the ACC after going 8-0 in conference play and now enters the title game as a small favorite against Clemson in the first-ever meeting between these teams.

No. 8 SMU vs. No. 17 Clemson

The Mustangs are the new blood in the ACC, but the Tigers have been the preeminent power in the league for a decade. Clemson has won seven of the last nine ACC titles. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is 8-1 in the ACC title game, and the lone loss was in 2009, his first full season on the job.

It’s win-and-in the 12-team field for both teams, but SMU might be able to lose and still get in. Maybe. Possibly. It’s certain Clemson must win to make the playoff field.

The Tigers have more losses to SEC teams than ACC teams. Clemson opened the regular season with a loss to Georgia and ended it with a loss at South Carolina. Those two losses are the only top-25 teams on Clemson’s schedule. The Tigers also lost to Louisville at home.

That should make Clemson seem like a vulnerable team, but the thing is, SMU doesn’t have any quality wins, either. Despite going 8-0 in the ACC, the Mustangs’ only game against a top-25 opponent was a nonconference loss to BYU. SMU did beat Louisville on the road.

Both teams have top-25 offenses in total yards. Clemson is eight in the country in yards per game (465.7). Even in last week’s 17-14 loss, Clemson managed 419 total yards.