No. 22 UNC football battles the odds against Clemson. How to watch, stream the Tar Heels
By the time North Carolina’s Tar Heels take the football field Saturday afternoon at Clemson, they could know if they’re still in play for the ACC Championship game.
Louisville and Miami are set to play at noon. If Louisville wins its last ACC game, it’s a moot point — the Cardinals will play Florida State in Charlotte next month in the ACC title game.
But if Louisville loses the road game at Miami, things become more complicated.
The No. 22 Tar Heels realize their chances are razor-thin, if still viable. To return to the championship game, they’d need the correct confluence of events.
The Heels (8-2, 4-2 ACC) would need Louisville to lose, have State beat Virginia Tech on Saturday and also have Syracuse beat Georgia Tech. UNC would then need to beat State next week in Raleigh to end the regular season while Miami beats Boston College..
Got all that? There’s more.
The tiebreaker format is a head-scratcher. The Tar Heels will be out if Louisville wins or there’s a three-way tie for second at 6-2 with UNC, Louisville and Virginia Tech.
But if Louisville loses, the Heels top Clemson on Saturday and the Pack defeats the Hokies, that’s one obstacle out of the way. Syracuse winning against Georgia Tech also is critical to UNC’s hopes.
If UNC and Louisville finish 6-2, their record against common opponents this season is the same. So much for that tiebreaker. The next tiebreaker would be the team having a win over the common ACC opponent finishing the highest in the standings.
If Georgia Tech loses to Syracuse and there is a multi-way tie that includes Miami, the Hurricanes could move ahead of Tech — the Heels beat Miami. If Georgia Tech wins Saturday, the Yellow Jackets would finish ahead of Miami — Louisville topped Tech while UNC lost to the Jackets.
To simplify, the Heels need Miami beating Louisville and BC and finishing ahead of Georgia Tech. And need to take care of their own business.
UNC and Clemson kick it off a little after 3:30 p.m. in Death Valley, and the score of the Louisville-Miami game could be a final by then. Not that the players will have all that on their minds.
The Tigers smacked the Heels 39-10 in the 2022 ACC Championship game. They’re also coming off victories over Notre Dame and Georgia Tech, will be celebrating Senior Day at Memorial Stadium and will be favored.
“Dabo’s home record is 96-9 since he’s been there,” UNC coach Mack Brown said this week.
Correct. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney does have a 96-9 record at home.
“Ninety-six and nine. It’s hard to even say it without looking at it,” Brown joked.
How to watch
The game will be shown on ESPN and can be viewed on Spectrum cable and satellite providers DirecTV and Dish Network.
Streaming options include DIRECTV Stream, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and fuboTV.
Latest betting odds
Several oddsmakers have made Clemson a 7-point favorite. The over/under: 59.5.
North Carolina (8-2, 4-2 ACC) at Clemson (6-4, 3-4)
When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Where: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, S.C.
TV: ESPN.
Series history: In a series that began in 1897, UNC has a 19-39-1 record and has lost the last five games against Clemson. UNC’s last win: Oct. 9, 2010 when the Heels won 21-16 in Chapel Hill. The Heels’ last win in Clemson: 2001.
This story was originally published November 16, 2023 at 1:23 PM.
