CLEMSON — Clemson’s much-hyped season arrives at a major crossroads tonight in the Piedmont Triad.

A campaign that started with so much promise — a preseason No. 9 ranking, predictions of the first ACC title since 1991 — is teetering on the brink heading into tonight’s 7:45 p.m. kickoff at Wake Forest’s BB&T Field, nationally televised by ESPN.

Following a head-scratching 20-17 defeat to Maryland, Clemson is 3-2, 1-1 in ACC play. Beat the No. 21 Demon Deacons (3-1, 1-0) tonight, and the Tigers control their path to the ACC title game.

Lose, and making a title-game appearance becomes unlikely at best, if not impossible.

Can tonight’s importance be overstated? That, too, is pretty tough to do.

“This is a game right here we’ve got to have,” senior tailback James Davis said. “Coach told us if we win this game we’ll be at the top of our division. So I think it’s a must-win game. We’ve got to do whatever we can to win this game. I don’t care what the outcome is, but we’ve got to be on top.”

An off-week following the Maryland loss was physically and emotionally beneficial for Clemson. And the Terrapins’ surprising 31-0 loss at Virginia vaulted the Tigers right back into the Atlantic Division race. Wake Forest is the only unbeaten division team, meaning Clemson would grab control of its fate with a win tonight.

“You knew it would be like this,” senior quarterback Cullen Harper said. “We got beat in the last game we played. A lot of people thought the season was over and we wouldn’t be in a position to win the title. The bottom line is that people are going to lose. You never know who is going to show up week in and week out.”

Clemson coach Tommy Bowden — whose own job security was called into question following the Maryland loss — refuses to buy into the must-win hype.

“Every game’s important, and this game, there’s some importance to this one, no doubt, anytime you have a conference loss,” Bowden said. “But they play a 12-game schedule, not a 6-game schedule.

“There’ll be a seventh game, an eighth game, a ninth game; the most important one right now is the sixth one. Then it’s the seventh, then it’s the eighth. Regardless of what happens Thursday night, they’re not going to call the season off. Yeah, it’s an important game, but there’s a seventh one that’s going to be equally important and on down the line. I think that’s the best way to look at it.”

Wake Forest has always been a difficult foe for Clemson; the Tigers trailed 17-3 as the fourth quarter began in 2006 before Gaines Adams’ 65-yard return of a muffed field goal sparked a 27-17 win.

And although the Tigers whipped Wake 44-10 in Memorial Stadium last season, the Demon Deacons will surely be angry after having 12 days to think about a 24-17 home loss to Navy.

Wake is keyed by quarterback Riley Skinner, who averages 243.5 passing yards per game, tops in the ACC.

“They get five (receivers) out and sit back there all day and have the time to throw the ball,” Clemson defensive coordinator Vic Koenning said. “(Skinner is) going to find somebody open. Sometimes as we see a lot of times in practice or in games, when they get five out, sometimes covering a guy, which we did last year, made him try to scramble.”

The Demon Deacons have been known for their option attack, and although they average only 84.8 yards rushing per game (11th in the ACC), Koenning says they still run option enough to keep defenses honest.

“They still have that stuff,” Koenning said. “They still know how to run that wide zone every way known to man, guys shifting and motioning all over the place. You have to try to be sound versus all of that. It gives your defense a bunch of different looks. And they’re doing all of it now out of one personnel grouping.”

Clemson has had two weeks to prepare for the Demon Deacons — and also two weeks to recover from the Maryland disappointment. Davis said he saw “a lot of guys with their head down” after the game, and made it clear that wouldn’t be tolerated.

“I’m thinking, ‘Man, I can’t believe a lot of guys are putting their head down,’” he said. “You could just tell a lot of guys were thinking the season was over with. After I had a talk with those guys, guys really changed. They’re running around in practice, they’re hyped up. Those guys, they’ll be ready come Thursday. We know it’s a must-win game for us. So we’ve got to prepare ourselves any way we can to be prepared for this game.”

It is yet another chance for redemption on a national stage — a chance to salvage a season hanging on the edge.

“ I think you can’t jump to conclusions in the middle of the season. Last year we lost early and we came back and put ourselves in a position to still play in the championship game,” Harper said. “We didn’t make it, but I think you just have to wait until the end of the season and see how things unfold. We’re not even halfway through. There’s a lot of football to be played. We’re disappointed on where we are, but we still can get a good bowl game. I think you have to wait until the end of the year before you reach conclusions.”