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Clemson vs. Miami, ACC Championship Game preview, predictions, viewing info

By Nathaniel Reeves

SYRACUSE, NY - OCTOBER 13: Austin Bryant #7 of the Clemson Tigers participates in warm ups before the game against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on October 13, 2017 in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse defeats Clemson 27-24. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY - OCTOBER 13: Austin Bryant #7 of the Clemson Tigers participates in warm ups before the game against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on October 13, 2017 in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse defeats Clemson 27-24. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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RALEIGH, NC – NOVEMBER 04: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers celebrates after defeating the North Carolina State Wolfpack 38-31 at Carter Finley Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – NOVEMBER 04: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers celebrates after defeating the North Carolina State Wolfpack 38-31 at Carter Finley Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Saturday’s game should be an entertaining defensive slugfest, but Clemson’s superior firepower on offense will prove to be too much for the Hurricanes to overcome.

Miami’s woeful 232-yard performance in the loss to Pittsburgh raises some major red flags, and Clemson isn’t exactly the team to make a quick recovery against. Rosier has been shaky over the past four games, even in big wins over Virginia Tech and Notre Dame, and the Hurricanes have no shot at moving the ball if they are too one-dimensional.

The big issue for Miami could be up front, as Bryant and Ferrell are a load to handle in pass protection even for elite-level offensive lines like Auburn. Clemson owns the nation’s second-best sack percentage with a mark of 10.79, while Miami has been iffy at pass protection this season with Rosier going down on 6.09 percent of his dropbacks.

Next: Pac-12 Championship Game preview

Etienne and Bryant will be able to generate enough splash plays to ultimately make the difference. While this will be one of the greatest challenges of Bryant’s young career, he’s coming off a strong performance against South Carolina and has done a good job of avoiding mistakes this year.

As long as Clemson avoids turnovers, it should be able to wear down the Miami defense and eventually pull away to secure a berth in the College Football Playoff.

Final Prediction: Clemson 27, Miami 17

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