We Speak College Football
Pride Game in Tallahassee: Clemson and Florida State Meet on Halloween With Seasons on the Line
There is no Playoff berth waiting at the end of this one, and it does not matter. Clemson (4-3, 2-2 ACC) and Florida State (3-4, 1-3) meet for the first time ever on Halloween, Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on the ACC Network at Doak Campbell Stadium, in a rivalry game that has become about salvaging pride, jobs and the direction of two proud programs.
The recent history is lopsided. Florida State leads the all-time series 21-17, but Clemson has won nine of the last 10 meetings and the last two, including a 24-10 win last season in which the Seminoles trailed 18-0 and never threatened. Mike Norvell is 1-4 against Dabo Swinney, and he coaches this one with his future openly in question at a school that fired its athletic director in September.
Both teams limp in. Clemson lost 20-16 to Virginia Tech last week and has been blown out by both ranked teams it faced, LSU 51-10 and Miami 41-13. Florida State had a bye to recover from a 43-35 double-overtime loss to Miami, the latest close game to slip away. Swinney called the Seminoles “a dangerous team” this week, noting how often they have come out on the wrong end of tight finishes.
The matchup that decides it is whether Florida State’s week of rest and a home night crowd can finally turn one of those near-misses into a win. The Seminoles are 12-7 at home against Clemson in this series, and a victory would be the biggest of a lost season. For Clemson, at 2-2 in the league, a third conference loss effectively ends any ACC title game path. Expect a desperate, physical game between two rosters with more talent than their records suggest.
Kickoff: Saturday, October 31, 7:00 p.m. ET. TV: ACC Network. Venue: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Fla.
Halloween Under the Lights in Ames: No. 24 Oklahoma State’s Air Show Meets a Desperate Iowa State
Battle Line Under the Lights: No. 23 Missouri’s Streak Meets an Arkansas Team With Nothing to Lose
No. 19 SMU Takes the ACC Race on the Road to a Syracuse Team Fresh Off an Overtime Escape
Unbeaten No. 7 UCLA Closes Its Homestand Against a Nevada Defense Built to Bother People
No. 11 Texas Tries to Keep Its Surge Going as Wounded Mississippi State Visits Austin
The Nation’s Best Scoring Defense Hits the Road: 6-1 New Mexico Puts Its Mountain West Lead on the Line at San José State
Army’s Nation-Best Ground Game Meets Memphis’ 509-Yard Offense in an American Title Eliminator
On the Blue Turf, No. 20 Boise State’s Playoff Path Runs Through Texas State’s Track Team
We Speak College Football
Halloween Under the Lights in Ames: No. 24 Oklahoma State’s Air Show Meets a Desperate Iowa State
Iowa State gets its first night game of the season at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, and the opponent is the Big 12’s most entertaining surprise. No. 24 Oklahoma State (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) visits the Cyclones (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) at 7:00 p.m. ET on FS1, with Halloween in Ames as the backdrop.
Almost nobody saw Oklahoma State coming. The Cowboys lost their opener to Tulsa, and first-year head coach Eric Morris — who brought quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins with him from North Texas — has gone 5-1 since, the only other loss a three-point game at Houston. Mestemaker has been one of the best quarterbacks in the country: 65.7 percent completions, 2,326 passing yards (second-most in the FBS), 20 touchdowns against six interceptions. Oklahoma State averages 40.0 points and 529.1 yards per game, and just hung 598 yards on Colorado in a 57-24 win that put the Cowboys back in the AP Top 25 after a one-week absence.
Iowa State’s week has been about a decision. After playing two quarterbacks in a 39-3 loss to Arizona, head coach Jimmy Rogers announced Tuesday that Jaylen Raynor will start. Raynor has started every game this season, going 93-of-158 for 1,107 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions, with 145 rushing yards and three scores on the ground. The Cyclones need three more wins to reach bowl eligibility, and their path runs through home: their only loss in Ames came against Utah, and their last home game was a 45-42 shootout win over West Virginia.
History gives Iowa State a real argument. The Cyclones won the last two meetings, 20-13 in Stillwater last season and 34-27 in Ames in 2023, though Oklahoma State leads the all-time series 34-22-3. The deciding matchup is Mestemaker against an Iowa State defense allowing 24.1 points per game: if the Cyclones can slow the Cowboys’ tempo and make this a fourth-quarter game, the crowd and the moment give them a shot. If Oklahoma State gets to 40 again, the ranking survives and the Big 12 race keeps its wildest story.
Kickoff: Saturday, October 31, 7:00 p.m. ET. TV: FS1. Venue: Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, Iowa.
Battle Line Under the Lights: No. 23 Missouri’s Streak Meets an Arkansas Team With Nothing to LoseNo. 19 SMU Takes the ACC Race on the Road to a Syracuse Team Fresh Off an Overtime EscapeUnbeaten No. 7 UCLA Closes Its Homestand Against a Nevada Defense Built to Bother PeopleNo. 11 Texas Tries to Keep Its Surge Going as Wounded Mississippi State Visits AustinThe Nation’s Best Scoring Defense Hits the Road: 6-1 New Mexico Puts Its Mountain West Lead on the Line at San José StateArmy’s Nation-Best Ground Game Meets Memphis’ 509-Yard Offense in an American Title EliminatorOn the Blue Turf, No. 20 Boise State’s Playoff Path Runs Through Texas State’s Track Team
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