Arguably the single most respected figure in the sport of college football thinks the Clemson Tigers will take down the SMU Mustangs in an upset in tonight’s ACC Championship Game.
That person is former Alabama football coach Nick Saban, who joined Rece Davis, Desmond Howard and Kirk Herbstreit on the set of “College GameDay” from Atlanta Saturday morning.
While previewing Clemson-SMU, Saban picked the Tigers (9-3 overall) to beat the Mustangs (11-1) and punch their ticket to the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Explaining his prediction, Saban offered praise for Tigers coach (and friend) Dabo Swinney in particular. Saban said:
“I like Clemson. I think Dabo being in this game many, many times before, his team knows how to prepare for it, and I think the weather is going to have some impact on how SMU plays.”
Saban has a point about Swinney’s presence in these games. Since 2011, Clemson is 8-0 in ACC title games. The Tigers haven’t lost an ACC title game since 2009, Swinney’s first full season at Clemson.
As for the weather, overnight lows in Charlotte are expected to drop to near freezing temperatures Saturday night.
Clemson vs. SMU is set for an 8 p.m. ET kickoff at Bank of America Stadium. The game will be televised on ABC.
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