Clemson's 2010 football schedule features 7 bowl teams

CLEMSON — Dabo Swinney’s second full season at Clemson’s helm won’t be an easy ride.

When the ACC and Clemson released the Tigers’ 2010 schedule Thursday, it revealed a slate with seven bowl teams — four of whom the Tigers will face on the road, a marquee non-conference matchup with Auburn and two straight road games to close out the ACC slate.

“This is a difficult schedule, especially when you see that we have to play four bowl teams in our five road games,” Swinney said in a statement. “The game at Auburn (Sept. 18) will be the first of these, and it will be a great test for our football team. It is one I know our fans have been looking forward to for some time.”

Clemson does not have a Thursday night game this season, playing all 12 games on Saturdays. The Tigers’ open date is Sept. 25, followed by eight straight ACC games between Oct. 2 and Nov. 20. It marks the first time Clemson has played eight straight ACC games since 2003 and the first time in school history it has played eight ACC games in an eight-week period.

The Tigers open Sept. 4 with North Texas, and FCS in-state foe Presbyterian follows Sept. 11 in the schools’ first meeting since 1957.

The much-anticipated trip to Auburn will be Sept. 18; the teams last met in the 2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl, a 23-20 Auburn overtime victory. Auburn returns the trip to Clemson in 2011.

The ACC schedule starts two weeks later with a visit from Miami, and Clemson’s first trip to North Carolina since 2002 follows Oct. 9.

“The Miami game at Clemson will be a national game,” Swinney said. “We have played them three times since I have been at Clemson and all three have gone to overtime. The North Carolina game should also be a great game the very next week. I have been at Clemson since 2003, but it will be my first trip to Chapel Hill. In that three-game stretch between September 18 to October 9 (Auburn, Miami and North Carolina) we will learn a lot about our football team.”

Consecutive home games against Maryland (who has beaten Clemson two straight years and twice in a row at Death Valley) and Georgia Tech (who beat the Tigers twice last year, in Atlanta and the ACC title game) will be Oct. 16 and Oct. 23.

Clemson travels to Boston College Oct. 30, hosts N.C. State Nov. 6 and travels to Florida State Nov. 13 and Wake Forest Nov. 20 before seeking revenge against South Carolina Nov. 27 at home.

“I do wish the open date was closer to the middle of the season,” Swinney said. “And finishing the ACC schedule with consecutive road games at Florida State and Wake Forest will be a big challenge to say the least.”