Florida State Football: How Clemson Has Become FSU's Biggest ACC Rival

Florida State has had some significant ACC rivalries through the years. But even in the last 10 years, since Miami joined the conference, FSU's biggest league rival has been Clemson.

"It's FSU's biggest ACC rivalry," former Clemson coach and current Raycom analyst Tommy Bowden said. "And probably the most significant rivalry in the conference."

An argument can be made that FSU-Miami has been the most dramatic through the decades, especially considering the Seminoles' missed kicks in the 1990s and 2000s. But the FSU-Miami series has become one-sided. Jimbo Fisher is 4-0 against the Hurricanes since he took over as FSU's head coach in 2010. And three of the four wins have been by 13 or more points. 

FSU-Clemson has taken top billing on the Seminoles schedule for a few reasons. The biggest one is that they are both Atlantic Division teams, and the winner gets a leg up on the other in the race to win the division (while also grabbing the first tiebreaker, head-to-head result, if they each finish the ACC schedule with the same conference record).

Either FSU or Clemson has represented the Atlantic Division in the ACC Championship Game each year since 2009. And in each of the past five seasons, the team that wins the FSU-Clemson game has claimed the division title.

That's how important Saturday's FSU-Clemson game is to both teams. The Seminoles won the last two ACC titles, and the path to the championship included a 49-37 win over Clemson in Tallahassee in 2012 and a 51-14 thrashing at Clemson last year.

While Fisher is 3-1 against Clemson as head coach, the Tigers have had success in the last decade against FSU. Clemson claimed victories over FSU from 2005-07 and won games at Death Valley in 2009 and 2011.

"Clemson is a great program with great tradition," Fisher said. "They're ranked highly. And when you get into your conference, those teams are very naturally going to become rivals."

Rivals also bring out the best in each other. Even though FSU routed Clemson in the Top Five showdown last year, it was a game in which the Seminoles realized just how good they were—and how far they could go. That win put FSU at 6-0, en route to a 14-0 season and a national title.

"To come out and perform in a hostile environment like that against a big-time opponent, it gave us good confidence to know that we could go on the road and we could play with the best teams in the nation," Fisher said.

FSU and Clemson have also waged a number of head-to-head recruiting battles through the years. Chris Nee, a recruiting analyst for 247Sports, said Clemson coaches are very active in the Sunshine State. Recent prep prospects that have left the state and signed with Clemson include 5-star defensive back Mackensie Alexander of Immokalee, Florida, linebacker Tony Steward of St. Augustine and 4-star defensive end Tavaris Barnes of Jacksonville.

"Assistant coach Jeff Scott leads the charge for them, but both coordinators (Chad Morris on offense and Brent Venables on defense) for the Tigers also make Florida a regular stop as well as other members of their staff," Nee said. "The Tigers have had success in the Sunshine State and won some great battles head-to-head with Florida State." 

On the flip side, FSU has found success in the Carolinas and has gone head-to-head with Clemson for prospects in Georgia. In 2014, FSU landed 4-star defensive end Lorenzo Featherston of Greensboro, N.C., who chose the Seminoles over Clemson, Florida, Miami and Auburn. And in 2012, 4-star linebacker Ukeme Eligwe of Stone Mountain, Georgia, signed with FSU.

"It ramps up the personal animosity," Bowden said. "A lot of those guys were rivals in high school and that carries over to college. And it adds to the buildup." 

Bob Ferrante is the Florida State Lead Writer for Bleacher Report, all quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bob on Twitter. All recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.