Clemson 2010 Football Schedule

Feb. 4, 2010

CLEMSON, SC – Clemson will face seven 2009 bowl teams, including four on the road on its 2010 football schedule. The slate of games was released by the Atlantic Coast Conference on Thursday. The schedule includes Clemson’s first regular season game with Auburn since 1971 and the Tigers first trip to North Carolina since 2002.

All 12 games on the schedule will be played on Saturdays. It will be the first time since 2001 that Clemson has played all of its games on Saturdays. All game times will be announced at a later date. All special home game designations will be announced at a later date.

“This is a difficult schedule, especially when you see that we have to play four bowl teams in our five road games,” said Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney. “The game at Auburn will be the first of these and it will be a great test for our football team. It is one I know our fans have been looking forward to for some time.

“The Miami game at Clemson will be a national game. We have played them three times since I have been at Clemson and all three have gone to overtime. The North Carolina game should also be a great game the very next week. I have been at Clemson since 2003, but it will be my first trip to Chapel Hill. In that three-game stretch between September 18 to October 9 (Auburn, Miami and North Carolina) we will learn a lot about our football team.

“I do wish the open date was closer to the middle of the season, and finishing the ACC schedule with consecutive road games at Florida State and Wake Forest will be a big challenge to say the least.”

Clemson opens the schedule with consecutive non-conference home games against North Texas and Presbyterian. It will be Clemson’s first game with North Texas and the first game against Presbyterian since 1957. The two schools opened the season on an annual basis from 1930 to 1957 when Hall of Fame coaches Jess Neely and Frank Howard served as Clemson’s head coach.

The Tigers will play the Tigers on September 18 when Clemson travels to Auburn. It is the first of a two-game home-and-home series between the two schools. Auburn will play at Clemson in 2011. The last time the two teams met the contest went to overtime in the 2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl. Auburn won that game 23-20 in the Georgia Dome. Auburn is coached by former Clemson graduate assistant Gene Chizik.

Clemson will have an open date on September 25, then play eight consecutive conference games between October 2 and November 20. It is the first time Clemson has played eight consecutive ACC games since the 2003 season, but the first time in school history Clemson has played eight ACC games over an eight-week period.

Clemson opens its ACC schedule on October 2 when Miami (FL) comes to Clemson. It is the latest start to the ACC schedule for Clemson since 1982 when Clemson played its first league game on October 9 at Virginia. Clemson and Miami have met as ACC foes three times and all three have been decided in overtime, including Clemson’s 40-37 victory in Miami last year. In fact the road team has won each of the last three meetings in at least one overtime.

Clemson will have its first ACC road game at North Carolina on October 9. It will be just the second meeting between the two schools since 2003 and Clemson’s first trip to Chapel Hill since 2002. Clemson has won each of the last three meetings and five of the last six dating to 1999.

Clemson has a two-game home stand on October 16 and October 23 against the only two ACC teams to beat the Tigers last year. Maryland will be the foe at Death Valley on October 16 and Georgia Tech will come to Clemson on October 23. The Yellow Jackets beat Clemson twice last year, 30-27 in the regular season in Atlanta and 39-34 in the ACC Championship game in Tampa. It will be the fourth game against Georgia Tech within the first 35 games of Dabo Swinney’s Clemson coaching career.

The Tigers will travel to Boston College on October 30 for the annual battle for the O’Rourke-McFadden Trophy. Clemson has defeated the Eagles each of the last two years. The 2008 win in Boston was Dabo Swinney’s first victory as Clemson head coach.

Clemson will play its final ACC home game against NC State on November 6. Clemson has beaten NC State six consecutive years, Clemson’s longest winning streak in history over the Wolfpack.

The Tigers must play their last two ACC games on the road, at Florida State on November 13, then at Wake Forest on November 20. Clemson has beaten the Seminoles five of the last seven years, but just once at Tallahassee since 1989. The Tigers have won eight of the last 11 games over Wake Forest, but the Demon Deacons have won three of the last four in Winston-Salem.

Clemson concludes the regular season on November 27, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, when South Carolina travels to Clemson. Clemson has won six of the last eight over the Gamecocks, but South Carolina won last year’s meeting in Columbia. Clemson has won five of the last six in the series played at Clemson.

2010 Clemson Football ScheduleDate – OpponentSept. 4 – North Texas Sept. 11 – Presbyterian Sept. 18 – at Auburn Sept. 25 – Open DateOct. 2 – Miami (FL) Oct. 9 – at North CarolinaOct. 16 – Maryland Oct. 23 – Georgia Tech Oct. 30 – at Boston CollegeNov. 6 – NC State Nov. 13 – at Florida State Nov. 20 – at Wake ForestNov. 27 – South Carolina All times TBA

ACC Schedule Links: * 2010 ACC Football Composite Schedule * 2010 ACC Football Team-by-Team Schedules