Miami routs Clemson, reshaping the ACC race

01 · The NewsMiami Reshapes the ACC Race

Miami stayed unbeaten with a 41–13 victory over Clemson on Saturday, Oct. 3, turning a major ACC test into a decisive statement and handing Dabo Swinney his second-worst home loss as Clemson’s coach.

The Hurricanes moved to 5–0 with a road win over the team Josh Pate picked as the No. 3 playoff seed in his preseason bracket. Miami also had beaten Stanford and Wake Forest on the road, and the result strengthened its path toward the ACC title.

Swinney said he remained confident Clemson could compete for an ACC championship. “The season ain't over,” Swinney said.

Pate’s preseason bracket put Miami at No. 11, while the Hurricanes opened the season No. 4 in both the AP Top 25 and AFCA Coaches preseason polls. Saturday directly damaged Clemson’s playoff projection and gave Miami a stronger case as an early ACC contender.

The result also widened the gap between the programs’ recent records. Miami went 13–3 in 2025, while Clemson finished 7–6. Miami entered the game at 5–0; Clemson entered it at 3–1 and left with another loss that looked nothing like the Tigers’ three-game winning streak.

Both teams return Saturday, Oct. 17. Miami hosts Florida State, while Clemson hosts Charleston Southern. Those games offer different tasks: Miami can keep building its conference case, while Clemson begins trying to make Swinney’s confidence hold up against the rest of the ACC schedule.

For Clemson, the season is not finished. But after Miami’s 41–13 win, the path to the ACC race is considerably narrower.

02 · The StakesThe Margin Narrows

Clemson fell to 3–2 after its second heavy loss of the season. The Tigers opened with a 51–10 defeat at LSU on Sept. 5, then won three straight against Georgia Southern, North Carolina and California before Miami scored 41 points in Clemson’s home stadium. Clemson’s margin for error in the ACC race—and its route back to national relevance—has narrowed sharply.

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