Complete viewer’s guide to Championship Weekend
By Cephas Evans
(2) Clemson vs. Pittsburgh – Saturday 8:00 pm – ABC
In what will likely be the most uneventful conference championship game this year, Clemson will take on Pittsburgh for the ACC title.
Pittsburgh will enter the game with a 7-5 record, which may have you wondering how they’ve gotten so far. Well, let me first say, the Panthers have played a relatively tough schedule, with out-of-conference games against Penn State, Central Florida, and Notre Dame, all of which they lost. That said, Pitt has fared well in conference play, finishing 6-2 with wins over Syracuse and Virginia. However, they are no match for undefeated Clemson and it will show on Saturday night.
Once again, Clemson is 12-0 entering the conference championship and look to be on another collision course with the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Tigers have been on a roll since their close call with Syracuse in September and show no sign of slowing down for the Panthers. Freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence has started playing up to his potential in the second half of the season and has helped the Clemson offense average 51 points per game since their thriller with Syracuse.
Clemson enters the game favored by 26.5 points and should easily cover the spread. If you want to avoid Clemson/Alabama 4.0, your only hope will be a Clemson loss in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoffs.