Week 12: Boston College at Clemson

Clemson has hit its stride just as Boston College has hit the skids. But the teams find themselves in the same position — Memorial Stadium in Death Valley, to be specific — as they square off for the Atlantic Division title and a spot in the ACC championship game.

“It’s winner take all,” Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski said. “You win, you’re in. You don’t, you’re out. Both teams have the same thing at stake, so it will be interesting.”

Jagodzinski’s Eagles once held a two-game lead on Clemson in the conference standings, but that has disappeared in the last two weeks. Boston College dropped from the ranks of the unbeaten — and the No. 2 ranking in the country — with a 27-17 loss to Florida State. The Eagles followed up that performance with a 42-35 defeat at Maryland last week.

The Tigers, meanwhile, have run off four consecutive victories since dropping two straight games heading into their open date. Clemson has won by an average margin of 35 points during that span, including a 44-10 whipping of reigning ACC champion Wake Forest last week.

With a victory this week, the Tigers will be just one win away from their first ACC title since 1991. And Clemson coach Tommy Bowden expects the fans at Memorial Stadium to respond to that opportunity accordingly Saturday.

“There have been several stadiums I walked in where there has been a thicker air than what you normally see,” Bowden said. “You could cut the electricity here during my first game against Florida State and then Georgia Tech last year. This one is probably going to bypass all of those.”

Although the Eagles have struggled recently, they’ll head to Clemson with plenty of confidence. Boston College has won the teams’ last two meetings in overtime — 34-33 in double overtime last season and 16-13 at Clemson in 2005 — and has an experienced leader in senior quarterback Matt Ryan.

Ryan, who has thrown for more than 400 yards in four games this season, will take aim at the ACC’s top-ranked defense. The Tigers rank fifth nationally in yards allowed (282.7 per game) and No. 15 in the country in points allowed (17.9 per game). Clemson has been especially stingy against the pass, ranking No. 3 in the country in passing yards allowed (161.8 per game) and No. 8 nationally in opponents’ pass efficiency (101.0).

Despite those numbers, Jagodzinski feels good about his offense. And despite the back-to-back losses, he feels good about his team’s mindset entering the week.

“Everything we’ve been wanting to do, we have an opportunity to do it,” Jagodzinski said. “You can’t worry about what has happened in the past. You have to keep looking forward.”

While Boston College relies heavily upon Ryan for its offense, Clemson features a more balanced attack starring quarterback Cullen Harper and tailbacks James Davis and C.J. Spiller.

Perhaps the most interesting matchup in this game is Davis and Spiller against BC’s run defense, which ranks No. 2 in the country (65.7 yards per game) and had not allowed a 100-yard rusher before Maryland’s Lance Ball gained 109 yards last week. Davis and Spiller didn’t get off to great starts this season — Spiller, in particular, struggled — but they have combined for 709 yards on 5.5 yards per carry over the last four weeks.

When Davis and Spiller aren’t toting the ball, Harper will look for open spots in BC’s zone-heavy secondary. The Eagles are sixth in the country in interceptions (18), although they haven’t picked off a pass in the last three games.

Bowden believes Harper, who leads the ACC in pass efficiency (154.1) and has thrown 26 touchdown passes and only four interceptions this season, will be poised in the pocket during Clemson’s biggest game of the season to this point.

“He has a very consistent, even temperament,” Bowden said. “Sometimes that’s good, and sometimes that’s bad. But in his case, he is not trying to be someone he isn’t. He’s sincere, and I think he’s good for our team.”

Also good for the Tigers — and especially good for Harper — is junior wide receiver Aaron Kelly. Kelly leads the ACC in receiving yards (84.1 per game) and has caught a school-record 11 touchdown passes this season. He can set another school record this weekend, if he catches a touchdown pass for the sixth game in a row.

Even if Harper can’t find Kelly in the end zone against Boston College, Clemson needs its quarterback to continue taking care of the ball as he has for much of the season. The Tigers are tied for the fewest turnovers in the nation (10), and three of their giveaways have come on special teams.

Boston College, meanwhile, has posted a minus-6 total on turnovers over the last two weeks. The Eagles are facing a hot team in a hostile environment — 16 Clemson seniors will be playing their final home game — and they can’t afford for that trend to continue this week.

Clemson by 4