Syracuse begins ACC play Saturday with a home game against Clemson. Last year the Tigers limited Garrett Shrader to just 167 passing yards, as Syracuse could not generate offense in the second half. Similar to last season look for Clemson to give Syracuse their first loss, and put the Orange in a tough spot with three straight road games upcoming. Take Clemson

From 2015 to 2020 HC Dabo Swinney had Clemson in the Top 5 and won two National Championships. They are still 23-8 since then however it just isn't the same for a program playing for National Championships. Off their second ACC loss and a game that could've been a winner if not for a missed 27-yard field goal this could be a major letdown game. Really that doesn't even matter to me because I think Syracuse HC Dino Babers has his best team. Babers team lost by three points the past two years and have covered three straight against Clemson. Cuse QB Garrett Shrader third year in the offense looks like he's ready to pull of the upset.

The IPTAY crowd is wondering these days if this Clemson edition might indeed have a death wish after conspiring to blow a couple of games in September. Even some Dabo powerhouses have had problems before vs. Dino Babers, whose 'Cuse teams have covered five of the last six meetings. Dino also arguably has the best dual-threat QB in the ACC with ex-Miss State Garrett Shrader (11th in total offense at 322 ypg), and the Orange D has a different look these days with the sage Rocky Long as coordinator, who has led the 'Cuse to the sort of defensive ranking (15th) that they haven't seen much of in these parts since the days of Ben Schwartzwalder.

The line continues to move in Syracuse's favor. The Tigers come the loss to Florida State that may have ended their hopes of going to the College Football playoff. Clemson already has a loss on the road to the Blue Devils, where they only put seven points. And this could be a spot, where Clemson comes out a little flat considering their biggest game of the season, already, was last week. Since 2018, Clemson is 5-0 SU against the Orange, but only 1-4 ATS.