CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The championship game for the Atlantic Coast Conference is set.
The ACC made it official Saturday, announcing that the Clemson Tigers clinched their spot to fight for the conference title. They'll be driving up I-85 on Dec. 7 to take on the Mustangs of Southern Methodist University, visiting from Dallas. The 20th Championship Game will kick off at 8 p.m. Eastern at Bank of America Stadium in uptown Charlotte.
The Tigers are ranked No. 12 nationally. Overall on the season, they're 9-3 and finished 7-1 in ACC play. SMU is 11-1 overall and finished 8-0 in conference play.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has led a top-12 offense with both scoring and total offense, averaging 35.7 points per game, and is still the only team ranked nationally in both passing and offense.
The Tigers will also look to win a 22nd ACC championship title and a ninth victory in the game. Since the game's inception in 2005, Clemson has won it in 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022.
Southern Methodist, ranked No. 9 nationally, secured their spot after a 33-7 win at Virginia on Nov. 23. They also beat California Saturday 38-6. Head coach Rhett Lashlee has led quarterback Kevin Jennings and running back Brashard Smith for the Mustangs' offense - the sixth-best in the country - coupled with a top-10 defense ranked second nationally for defensive touchdowns and ninth in interceptions.
SMU has been in each of the first three College Football Playoff rankings at the start of the season and ranked in the last seven Associated Press Top 25 polls. This will not only be the Mustangs' first trip to the ACC Championship since joining the league in July 2024 but also makes them the first football team to reach the championship in its first season in the conference.
Tickets for the game are on sale now, including premium packages. Festivities for the game will be held in Romare Bearden Park. They start at 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6, and at 10 a.m. on Saturday.