Shaking the Magic 8-Ball with Clemson and South Carolina both taking Week 9 off: Magic 8-Ball, is this a good weekend for Clemson to not be playing? It depends on how you look at it. One school of thought says it’s better to keep the momentum going, particularly for Clemson. The Tigers (6-1, 5-0 ACC) are riding a six-game win streak in which its average margin of victory has been nearly 28 points a game.
That kind of production and rhythm could be hindered by a late-October weekend off. Report Card: Grading Gamecock football at the break On the flip side, No. 9 Clemson is about to enter its most arduous and critical stretch of the season.
The Tigers’ next three games – starting with Louisville on Nov. 2 – will wrap up its conference schedule and determine its place with regards to the ACC championship. Having this week off would allow Clemson to avoid hobbling into November.
“Injury-wise, we’re in pretty good shape for this time of the year,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Obviously, we’ll do everything we can in the open date. There’s a lot of guys that need to really recover and get themselves in a better spot, hopefully, by next week.
And then, hopefully, get a couple of guys back, as well.” The “couple of guys” includes receivers Tyler Brown and Bryant Westco, who’ve both been out with ankle injuries and are expected to be return to play for the Louisville game. It also is another week for Collin Sadler, the sixth-man of the offensive line, .