ACC Championship 2015: Analysis, Prediction for UNC vs. Clemson

For the first time in four seasons, Florida State will not be playing in the ACC Championship Game. Instead, it's No. 1 Clemson that is coming out of the ACC Atlantic. It will take on a No. 14 North Carolina team making its first appearance in the conference championship. 

The Tigers, who have been at the top of the College Football Playoff rankings since their release in Week 10, are one of two remaining undefeated teams in the nation. 

But North Carolina has been just as hot after an opening loss to South Carolina, winning 11 straight games. 

Here is how both teams match up. 

UNC	Stat	Clemson
11-1	Record	12-0
266.0	Passing Yards Per Game	288.4
229.7	Rushing Yards Per Game	214.1
41.0	Points For	37.0
20.8	Points Against	18.8

A win from Clemson will cement its spot in the College Football Playoff, but the Tigers will be taking on one of the best scoring offenses in the nation. 

The Tar Heels have scored more than 40 points per game this season, led by quarterback Marquise Williams. A senior, Williams has accounted for almost 3,400 yards of total offense as a dual-threat quarterback who can get things done with his arm and legs. 

However, the Clemson defense will prove to be the toughest test of UNC's season. But the Tar Heels aren't just looking at the championship as a chance to spoil Clemson's shot at the playoff. A victory is a chance to get in the CFP themselves, as head coach Larry Fedora told Luke DeCock of the Charlotte Observer.

"We’ve done everything that we can do to this point," he said. "Now we’ve got to go and play the No. 1 team in the country. If that happens, I think we would be very well deserved to be in the playoff, no doubt about it in my mind."

Clemson isn't batting an eye at the stakes that the ACC Championship Game will bring, as coach Dabo Swinney told Pete Iacobelli of the Associated Press, via the Charlotte Observer.

"We've embraced the opportunity," Swinney said. "There's no pressure. Pressure comes when you're not prepared. We're prepared. We prepare every week."

With a defense that averages less than 20 points a game led by defensive end Shaq Lawson, Clemson has shut down solid offenses like that of Florida State. 

Add that to an offense that has gotten things done all season without making big headlines, and Clemson will be able to power out a win against the Tar Heels. 

Running back Wayne Gallman has averaged over five yards per rush this season on his way to 1,145 yards.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson has completed over 70 percent of his passes for 3,223 yards with 27 touchdowns. Like Williams, though, he isn't afraid to get things done on the ground, as SportsCenter shows:

While UNC will make a game of this, it won't overpower Clemson's weapons. 

Prediction: Clemson defeats UNC 31-24.

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.