Florida State Football History vs. Clemson Has Been Haunting

The Florida State (3-4) vs. Clemson (4-3) rivalry has been frightening for the Seminoles for over a decade. The Tigers have won nine of the last 10 meetings.

In this game of horrors, Florida State has not beaten Clemson in Tallahassee since 2014.

These two ACC rivals will battle it out on Halloween night in Doak Campbell Stadium, with Florida State looking for treats and to put a check mark in the win column against the Tigers.

Date: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026

Time:  7:00 p.m. ET

Location: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida

TV: ACC Network

Betting Odds: Florida State -5.5-point favorite (per Fan Duel)

This is not the Clemson team of old. The Tigers’ passing offense is terrible. Quarterback Tait Reynolds has thrown just one touchdown pass and three interceptions through seven games.

As a team, Clemson has thrown more interceptions (7) than they have TD passes (2).

Running back Gideon Davidson has rushed for 492 yards and five touchdowns. However, Davidson has not rushed for 100+ yards since Sept. 25 against the Cal Bears (159 yards, 2 TDs).

The strength of Clemson this season is its defense.

They rank among the top 50 teams in the FBS in several defensive categories:

Clemson has only intercepted four passes this season, three of those by cornerback Elliot Washington II.

The Tigers have not allowed a rushing touchdown in the last two games, and only 96 yards combined on the ground.

In their last four games, the Clemson defense has allowed opponents to score no more than 16 points in three of them.

Can this Clemson defense stop Florida State’s talent at the skill positions? It will depend on coach Mike Norvell’s play calling.

Florida State has lost their last two games, and the defense has given up over 40 points in each of those games.

The Seminoles’ defense has had epic collapses this season, against Alabama and Louisville, after having two touchdown leads in both games.

This game is an opportunity for Florida State defense to have an impact, especially in the pass rush. Clemson has allowed 21 sacks this season, and have allowed three sacks per game.

Against the Clemson offensive line, the Seminoles defensive front could have a repeat performance of the Virginia game, in which Florida State racked up 10 sacks and 12 tackles for loss.

Quarterback Ashton Daniels leads the offense with 23 total touchdowns and 1,972 yards of total offense. Daniels has averaged 281 yards of offense per game this season.  

Receiver Duce Robinson is coming off of his best game the season, with five catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns in the double-overtime loss to Miami.

Norvell must scheme more plays to get the ball in Robinson’s hands, and in the hands of Micahi Danzy to take advantage of Danzy’s elite speed.

Danzy’s speed could be a force equalizer, if Norvell would just use it.

With Ousmane Kromah out for the season, the rushing attack will now be manned by Tre Wisner and Amari Thomas. Wisner has not scored a rushing touchdown this season.

Florida State needs to win this game. A decade of losing to Clemson has not set well with the Florida State faithful.

A victory would take the fans minds off the turmoil, at least for a little while, surrounding the Florida State football program.

If Florida State wins, maybe Norvell will shave before the next game week press conference. He might be waiting for a victory before he shaves again. He appears as though he has not been clean shaven since the losing streak began.

If that is the case, he might look like Albus Dumbledore from the Harry Potter series before he breaks out the razor.