The Clemson strength is their offense. FSU has the much better offense getting 1.4 more yards per rushing attempt than their opponents normally allow and 3.9 more yards per pass. Clemson gets .1 yards per rushing attempt less and just 1.9 yards per pass more.

Likewise, Florida State has better ratings on defense holding teams to .8 yards per rushing attempt and 1.9 yards per pass less compared to Clemson .1 and .7. Taj Boyd is the star of Clemson. He is the second best QB on the field.

Winston is fourth in the ESPN adjusted QBR metric, accounting for performance and schedule difficulty; Boyd is 40th. Winston is second in yards per attempt (11.7); Boyd is ninth (9.6). Winston is tied with Georgia Aaron Murray for fifth in touchdowns (17); Boyd is tied for ninth (15). Boyd does have five rushing touchdowns to Winstons two, but Winston is averaging 3.8 yards a carry to 2.8 for Boyd.

Yes, Death Valley is one tough place to win, but Clemson has blown big games there before. FSU is better on both sides of the ball and wins much easier than many project.