ACC & Big 12 Weekend Preview: Clemson-FSU and Big 12 Unbeatens Top Week 9 Slate

In the ninth week of the college football season, members of the Florida Citrus Sports Team Selection Committee are making visits throughout ACC and Big 12 country, meeting with fans across both conferences in advance of the Russell Athletic Bowl on December 28th.

#3 Clemson at #12 Florida State – 8:00 p.m. on ABC

For the sixth straight season Clemson (7-0, 4-0 ACC) and Florida State (5-2, 2-2 ACC) will clash as ranked opponents. After outlasting Lousiville and surviving an overtime scare against NC State, the Tigers look to remain unbeaten and top Florida State in Tallahassee for only the second time since the Seminoles joined the ACC in 1992. The home team has won 12 of the last 14 games in the series with Clemson’s last win on the road against the ‘Noles coming in 2006. Florida State has bounced back from a last-second loss against North Carolina to knock of Miami and Wake Forest and remain in the race for the division’s spot in the ACC Championship. The winner of this game has gone on to win the Atlantic Division in each of the past seven seasons. The Seminoles lead the all-time series 20-9 but the Tigers won last season’s meeting 23-13 after outscoring Florida State 10-0 in the final quarter.

#10 West Virginia at Oklahoma State – 12:00 p.m. on FOX

Off to their best start since 2006 and entering the AP Top 10 for the first time since 2012, the Mountaineers (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) bring their unbeaten record into Stillwater to square off against the Cowboys (5-2, 3-1 Big 12). The Mountaineers have produced on both sides of the ball this season, scoring 30-plus points in four of their games while holding opponents to 21 points or less in all but one. The Cowboys enter the contest unranked but receiving votes. They have knocked off six ranked opponents as an unranked team under Mike Gundy, five of which have come at Boone Pickens Stadium. West Virginia leads the all-time series 4-3 but the series is tied 2-2 since West Virginia joined the Big 12 in 2012.

#8 Baylor at Texas– 3:30 p.m. on ABC

Baylor (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) brings a seven-game unbeaten streak (dating back to last year’s Russell Athletic Bowl victory) into Austin where they’ll face Texas (3-4, 1-3 Big 12), the last team to defeat the Bears. They are 6-0 for the fourth straight season, the only program in FBS to have accomplished this feat. Baylor has dominated opponents this season, scoring 35 points or more in every matchup and allowing 13 points or less in four of their six games. Theyare the only team in the nation to not allow a single point in the fourth quarter. The Longhorns have posted an unbeaten 3-0 record at home, outscoring opponents 118-60 in those three games. Last season Texas surprised the Bears on the final week of the season, winning 23-17 on the road for their first win against Baylor in Waco since 2009. The Longhorns lead the all-time series 75-26-4 but the momentum has switched to the Bears in recent times, with Baylor taking four of the past six meetings.

Here are the rest of the ACC and Big 12 games our selection committee members will attend:

Duke (3-4, 0-3 ACC) at Georgia Tech (4-3, 1-3 ACC) – 12:00 p.m. on ACC
#7 Louisville (6-1, 4-1 ACC) at Virginia (2-5, 1-2 ACC) – 12:00 p.m. on ABC/ESPN2
Texas Tech (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) at TCU (4-3, 2-2 Big 12) – 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2

All times listed are Eastern Time Zone (ET), and all games are on Saturday unless otherwise listed.