THE Clemson Tigers did everything they could. Now is the time to sit back and wait.

THE TigersThe last-minute victory over Pitt on Saturday secured their one-loss ACC season as they head into Saturday’s non-conference showdown with The Citadel at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.

The contest is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Eastern on the CW. Yes, that’s correct. The CW.

THE Tigers (8-2, 7-1 in ACC) have two games remaining, both of which are non-conference affairs. The other is the traditional season finale against South Carolina on Thanksgiving weekend.

Clemson will have one eye on the Bulldogs and one eye on the rest of the ACC. With two weeks remaining, SMU remains undefeated in the league and Miami has one defeat. The tiebreakers don’t favor the Tigers, so realistically they need SMU to lose its final two conference games or Miami to lose one of its two remaining championship games to advance to the title game. the ACC in Charlotte.

Getting there and winning this game is the only way Clemson can guarantee itself a spot in the College Football Playoff. The good news is that since his league roster is over, he can’t do any more damage.

The Citadel (5-6, 3-5 in the South) is out of the conference title and the FCS playoffs. The Bulldogs would love nothing more than to completely knock out the Tigers at home.

Here’s a preview of the game.

Memorial Stadium, Clemson, South Carolina

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday

TV: C.W.

Radio: WCCP 105.5 FM (flagship)

Coaches: Clemson — Dabo Swinney (178-45 at Clemson, overall); The Citadel — Maurice Drayton (5-17 at La Citadelle, overall).

Fun fact: Drayton played at The Citadel, got his start as a coach there and has a long resume that includes stints in the NFL, CFL, Finnish Maple League and AF2.

All-time series: Clemson leads the series, 33-5-1.

Last meeting: Clemson 49, The Citadel 0 (2020).

Series notes: Clemson has won the last 18 meetings and The Citadel hasn’t won a game since 1931 in Florence, S.C.

Last week: Clemson beat Pitt, 24-20; The Citadel defeated Wofford, 30-17.

About The Citadel: Clemson fans will consider this a “gamble,” but for the Bulldogs, this season represents a big improvement under Drayton, their second-year head coach.

Last year, the Citadel did not win a single game. Not a single one. Although a win on Saturday would move them to .500, it would also be an extraordinary jump for a program that hasn’t finished .500 since 2019 and hasn’t made the FCS playoffs since 2016.

Drayton tries to build something at the Citadel. This season represents progress, no matter what happens on Saturday.

About Clemson: This Cade Klubnik touchdown with 1:16 left could make history, depending on what happens the rest of the season. At least he will live on in Tigers fans’ memories for a long time.

That 50-yard touchdown run was epic in its timing. He said after the game that he was just looking to get out of bounds. But sometimes an opportunity presents itself. You get a seam and off you go. That’s football.

Clemson would have been satisfied with a field goal and a tie to send the game into overtime at that point. But this win keeps them alive in the ACC title and gives them a chance for a 10-win regular season. The Tigers arguably need an ACC title to advance to the CFP. But Clemson did everything it could. The rest depends on others.

Next step: Clemson hosts South Carolina on November 30. The Citadel’s season will be over after facing Clemson.