TIGERS 2009 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE- PROJECTED

The ACC announced that it will release the 2009 ACC football season schedule on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 11 a.m. We already know 10 of 12 opponents on the Tigers' 2009 schedule. Conference opponents in the Atlantic division include Florida State, Boston College, North Carolina State, Maryland and Wake Forest. The conference opponent in the Coastal division that the Tigers play annually is Georgia Tech. Since there are eight total conference games but only six known conference opponents at this time, the only "mystery" is who the two other conference opponents will be. The non-conference opponents this year are Middle Tenn. State, Pitt, La. Tech and SC.

Obviously, the two "mystery" conference opponents will be from the Coastal division since the Tigers cannot face an Atlantic opponent twice in a season. Last year, the Tigers faced Duke at home and Virginia away. Typically, the Tigers play Duke every year. In the past 45 years, there have been only two that Clemson and Duke did not face each other: Once in 1963 and most recently in 2006. If Duke and Virginia are on the schedule again this year, then Virginia would likely be a home game and Duke would be away. This would give the Tigers four home conference games and four away and seven total home games based on my projections. Here is how I see it:

HOME GAMES:
1. Middle Tennessee State
2. Pittsburgh
3. Louisiana Tech
4. Florida State
5. Boston College
6. Wake Forest
7. Virginia

AWAY GAMES:
1. North Carolina State
2. Maryland
3. Georgia Tech
4. Duke
5. South Carolina