1. Pressure Ponder

It’s no secret to anyone that Florida State will go to the air early and often, as redshirt junior Christian Ponder has proven himself capable of picking defenses apart and consistently matriculating the ball downfield. Given the fact that FSU’s defense has struggled to stop much of anyone, if the Tigers can put the heat on Ponder and force a few turnovers or quick punts, the advantage will shift squarely into Clemson’s corner. It’s hard to imagine the Seminoles keeping the explosive C.J. Spiller out of the end zone for long, unless he spends most of his time sitting on the bench watching Ponder work. With their top pass rusher, sophomore Da’Quan Bowers, doubtful with a knee injury, the Tigers may have to manufacture that pressure.

2. Get off the field

This key will likely depend heavily on the Tigers’ success in achieving the previous one, but with the Florida State offense converting nearly half of its third-down attempts, Clemson’s defense needs to find ways to get off the field on third downs. Tiger fans have become all too familiar in recent years with offenses converting third-and-long situations into first downs against their defense, though this year’s team is doing a much better job in that department — as it ranks third in the ACC in opposing third-down conversions. A good indicator of who ultimately wins this ball game will almost certainly be whether FSU’s third-down conversion percentage is closer to its average (49.1) or that of Clemson’s defense (33.1).

3. Take care of the football

Redshirt freshman Kyle Parker has proven that he’s capable of making big plays for the Tigers in the passing game. Unfortunately, he’s also created some equally big plays for opposing defenses. Parker helped keep Miami in the game two weeks ago with an interception in the end zone and a fumble that was returned for a score, and another fumble against Maryland ultimately ended the Tigers’ chances. Parker has been very good at other times though, and with a win Saturday, can break Rodney Williams’ school record for wins by a starting freshman quarterback. The two-sport star has superb poise and arm strength, and if he can avoid silly mistakes, could put the Tigers squarely in the driver’s seat for their first-ever ACC Atlantic title.

— Steven Bradley