Clemson @ Maryland preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 10, 2012 ) Maryland 10, Clemson 45

Clemson is coming off a humiliating loss against Florida State, but Maryland knows exactly what that feels like. The 10th-ranked Tigers aim to bounce back from their lopsided top-five showdown on Saturday when they visit the Terrapins in ACC action. All eyes will be on Tajh Boyd and Clemson, which was demolished by the Seminoles, 51-14, last weekend in a game that could have potentially propelled the Tigers to the forefront of the national title picture.

While Clemson is stinging from its loss to Florida State, Maryland was destroyed by the Seminoles, 63-0, earlier this month. The Terps recovered from that defeat - barely - with a one-point win over Virginia, but then suffered a 34-10 loss to Wake Forest last week. In contrast to Boyd - one of the elite quarterbacks in the nation - Maryland has not had consistency at the quarterback position, with Caleb Rowe replacing an ineffective C.J. Brown in the third quarter against the Demon Deacons.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Clemson -14.

ABOUT CLEMSON (6-1, 4-1 ACC): An Internet report emerged Tuesday, claiming that Boyd had accumulated more than $80,000 in gambling debt, to which the Tigers quarterback responded, "I have no idea where that came from." Boyd's bigger issue at the moment is how to bounce back from his brutal performance against Florida State in which he was 17-of-37 for 156 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, in addition to only eight yards on 14 rushing attempts. Then there is the issue of the Tigers' defense, which surrendered 565 total yards to the Seminoles, including 444 through the air.

ABOUT MARYLAND (5-2, 1-2 ACC): The Terps lost two receivers, Stefon Diggs and Deon Long, to broken legs against Wake Forest. That was the last thing Maryland needed, as its passing game - and its offense in general - is struggling, managing a total of 37 points over the last three games. In fairness, coach Randy Edsall has a very young team, as the Terps started 14 underclassmen against Wake Forest - 11 sophomores, two redshirt freshmen and one freshman.

EXTRA POINTS

1. This will be the schools' final meeting as ACC foes, with Clemson holding a 33-26-2 edge over Maryland, which is heading to the Big Ten next season.

2. Tigers DE Vic Beasley ranks second in the nation with nine sacks.

3. Since outscoring its opponents 159-41 during its 4-0 start, Maryland has been outscored 123-37 while going 1-2 over its last three contests

PREDICTION: Clemson 52, Maryland 23