No. 18 Clemson (9-3, 7-1 ACC, No. 17 CFP) vs. No. 8 Southern Methodist (11-1, 8-0, No. 11) at Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, 8 p.m. EST (ABC)
BetMGM College Football Odds: SMU by 2 1/2.
Series record: First meeting.
SMU faces a simple scenario: win and complete a perfect first run through its new league home, along with likely first-round bye in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. Clemson needs to win to make the CFP, which would then raise at least the question of whether a losing SMU team would make the ACC a two-bid league.
SMU QB Kevin Jennings vs. Clemson secondary: Jennings made his first start as SMU’s quarterback in last year’s American Athletic Conference championship game after Preston Stone broke his left leg in the regular-season finale. Jennings has thrown for 2,746 yards with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing two-thirds of his passes (196 of 294). He's also the team’s second-leading rusher with 344 yards and four TDs. Clemson's defense loves to play man-to-man, but Jennings has been very good beating that all season.
Clemson: QB Cade Klubnik has had breakout season with a career-high 29 touchdown passes. He’s also excelled with his running ability with six rushing TDs, including a 50-yard scoring run with 1:16 left at Pitt for a 24-20 win three games ago that ultimately got Clemson into the ACC title game.
SMU: RB Brashard Smith has run for 1,157 yards and 14 touchdowns this season and should present a formidable challenge for the Tigers. He also has 29 catches for 269 yards and three scores, so he is a threat coming out of the backfield.
Clemson is playing in its ACC-record 10th league title game. … Tigers are 8-1 in the previous nine, the lone loss under Dabo Swinney coming to Georgia Tech in 2009. … Clemson reached the ACC title game after Miami was upset by Syracuse last week. ... Klubnik was MVP of Clemson’s 39-10 victory over North Carolina in the Tigers' last title game appearance in 2022. … Clemson is seeking its 31st victory over an AP Top 10 opponent in No. 8 SMU. … Clemson has had six games where it has rushed for 200 yards and thrown for 200 yards. ... SMU has won nine games in a row, all since Jennings took over as the starting quarterback. ... The Mustangs have averaged 40.8 points a game during that stretch, all since an 18-15 home loss to 10-win BYU from the Big 12 on Sept. 6 in their third game.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) rushes for a touchdown in the first half of an NCAA college football game against South Carolina, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
U.S. markets are broadly lower before the opening bell in what's expected to be thin holiday trading.
Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.4% in the early hours Thursday. Markets were closed Wednesday for the Christmas holiday.
The government's weekly update on U.S. unemployment benefit applications will get some attention.
While it did little to boost Netflix's stock, the streaming giant was the talk of Christmas with its broadcast of back-to-back NFL matchups on Christmas, highlighted by Beyoncé's nearly 13-minute performance at halftime of the Houston Texans 31-2 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Unlike some of its other recent live events, Netflix's broadcast went off glitch-free, becoming the second-most popular live title ever for streaming service, according to NFL Media.
U.S. markets have historically gotten a boost at year's end, despite usually lower trading volumes. The last five trading days of each year, plus the first two in the new year, have brought an average gain of 1.3% since 1950.
So far this month, the U.S. stock market has lost some of its gains since President-elect Donald Trump’s win on Election Day, which raised hopes for faster economic growth and more lax regulations that would boost corporate profits. Worries have risen that Trump’s preference for tariffs and other policies could lead to higher inflation, a bigger U.S. government debt and difficulties for global trade.
Even so, the U.S. market remains on pace to deliver strong returns for 2024. The benchmark S&P 500 is up 26.6% so far this year and remains within roughly 1% of the all-time high it set earlier this month — its latest of 57 record highs this year.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index surged 1.1% to 39,568.06, on strong gains in retailers and tourism-related stocks after Japan agreed to ease visa conditions for Chinese tourists.
Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, a major department store group, gained 7.7%. J. Front Retailing Co., owner of the Matsuzakaya and Daimaru department store groups, jumped 8.3%. Automakers also saw large gains.
China and Japan also agreed Wednesday to conduct talks on contentious security issues and other sources of friction during a visit by Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya to Beijing, where he met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.4% to 2,429.67, while the Taiex in Taiwan gained 0.1%.
The Shanghai Composite index edged 0.1% higher, to 3,398.08.
Thailand's SET fell 0.1%.
Major European markets are closed Thursday, as well as Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia.
U.S. benchmark crude oil rose 40 cents to $70.50 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, picked up 36 cents to $73.53 per barrel.
The dollar rose to 157.65 Japanese yen from 157.19 yen. The euro fell to $1.0398 from $1.0410.
FIL:E - The New York Stock Exchange is shown in New York's Financial District on Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
FIL:E - People photograph the New York Stock Exchange in New York's Financial District on Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
Lights marking the entrance to a subway station frame the New York Stock Exchange in New York's Financial District on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)
People walk in front of Tokyo Stock Exchange building Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top left, and the foreign exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the South Korean won, top center, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Currency traders work at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A currency trader talks to another near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A currency trader watches monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
