The1986 Clemson Tigers football team was anAmerican football team that representedClemson University in theAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its ninth season under head coachDanny Ford, the team compiled an 8–2–2 record (5–1–1 against conference opponents), won the ACC championship, defeatedStanford in the1986 Gator Bowl, and outscored opponents by a total of 296 to 187.^[1][2] The team played its home games atMemorial Stadium inClemson, South Carolina.

Terrence Flagler and Terence Mack were the team captains. The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Rodney Williams with 1,245 passing yards,Terrence Flagler with 1,258 rushing yards and 78 points scored (13 touchdowns), and Ray Williams with 280 receiving yards.^[3]

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 13	Virginia Tech*		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	L 14–20	75,930	[4]
September 20	at No. 14Georgia*		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)	W 31–28	81,377	[5]
September 27	atGeorgia Tech		Grant Field Atlanta, GA (rivalry)	W 27–3	46,062	[6]
October 4	The Citadel*		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	W 24–0	75,540	[7]
October 11	atVirginia	No. 20	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	W 31–17	44,300	[8]
October 18	Duke	No. 17	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	W 35–3	81,320	[9]
October 25	at No. 20NC State	No. 16	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC (Textile Bowl)	L 3–27	51,300	[10]
November 1	atWake Forest		Groves Stadium Winston-Salem, NC	W 28–20	20,370	[11]
November 8	North Carolina		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	W 38–10	79,210	[12]
November 15	atMaryland	No. 15	Memorial Stadium Baltimore, MD	T 17–17	58,758	[13]
November 22	South Carolina*	No. 19	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)	T 21–21	82,500	[14]
December 27	vs. No. 20Stanford*		Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl)	W 27–21	80,104	[15]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings fromAP Poll released prior to the game

• 1986 Atlantic Coast Conference football season
• Clemson Tigers football seasons
• Atlantic Coast Conference football champion seasons
• Gator Bowl champion seasons
• 1986 in sports in South Carolina

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