The college football offseason is almost over as we are halfway through July. The season will get going in about a month and a half, and college football fans everywhere are eager for the new beginning. College football fever is rampant across the country as we get closer to the season, but also because of the new EA Sports NCAA 25 video game that just came out in mid July. All in all, it’s an exciting time to be a college football fan, and one fan base that is excited for the season is Clemson football fans. The Tigers have a big season ahead of them.
This college football season is going to be a big one for a number of reasons. The sport is going through big changes, and some of those changes are going to be seen for the first time this season. Let’s take a look at what some of them are.
First off, there are going to be some new rules seen this year in college football, and some fans aren’t really in favor of them. Perhaps the biggest change is the addition of the two-minute warning. Fans have already started getting sick at all of the commercials that are happening in today’s era of college football, and the two-minute warning is another way for tv networks to get more commercial times in.
The bigger changes, however, come with conference realignment and the expanded College Football Playoff. College football is going to look completely different next year because of those two things. California schools playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference? Yeah, things are changing.
Conference realignment has shaken things up big time in college football. The power five is no longer a thing as the Pac-12 is essentially dead. Every team left for a new conference except for Oregon State and Washington State. Those two teams have scheduling alliances with the Mountain West.
Every other Pac-12 school found a new home. Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State are now in the Big 12. Oregon, Oregon State, USC and UCLA joined the Big Ten. Lastly, Cal and Stanford joined the ACC (makes a ton of sense, right?).
The other big change with conferences comes in the SEC. Oklahoma and Texas are both leaving the Big 12 and they will join the SEC. The Big Ten and the SEC are loaded with good teams and seem on the verge of forming two super conferences.
This season, we will also see 12 teams make the College Football Playoff. For about a month, the College Football Playoff will be happening. Some people aren’t in favor of the big expansion, but there will be more marquee college football games, and it’s hard to be too upset about that.
All in all, this is going to be one of the biggest college football seasons of all time. The game is changing, and this is the start of a new era.
Can Clemson football return to the top of the ACC?
From 2015-2020, the Clemson football team was one of the best in the country. It was them, Alabama and then everyone else. The Tigers made the College Football Playoff six years in a row during that time, and they won two national championships. Dabo Swinney built a dynasty at Clemson, but ever since 2020, things have been going downhill. It looked like the Tigers were built for sustained success, and they had complete control over the ACC. Now, it’s been three seasons since a playoff berth, but it will be much easier to qualify in 2024.
With the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams, it would be a major disappointment if Dabo Swinney can’t get his Tigers into the playoff this year, especially with how weak the ACC is. Clemson does have a major challenge in their conference as Florida State is now one of the best teams in the ACC, but the crown should come down to those two teams. Still, there is a decent chance that they can both make the playoff.
This is a big year for Clemson football and Dabo Swinney. Since things have gone downhill in recent years, some Tigers fans are wondering if it could be time to move on from Swinney. Now, he has a golden opportunity to get into the College Football Playoff every season because of expansion. However, if he can’t, it might be time for Clemson to move on.
Clemson is going to be a top contender in the ACC, and winning the conference would get them into the College Football Playoff. Here are three reasons why they will get it done:
Experienced quarterback
Teams that are bringing back their starting QB from the year prior always have a bit of a head start on the teams that have to break in a new QB that doesn't have any experience yet. Because of that, teams that are returning their starter typically have better years than teams that aren't. Clemson is one of those teams that is returning their starter as Cade Klubnik is back, and it feels like this will be a breakout year for him. He was solid last year, but wasn't anything special. However, he should show improvements with another offseason under his belt.
Defense
The Clemson football defense should certainly be good enough to keep them in most games this year. Even in the past few years when the Tigers haven't been as good of an overall team, their defense has remained strong, and most people are expecting that to be the case once again this season. That will take a lot of pressure off of Cade Klubnik and the offense, and it should set the team up for success.
The ACC is weak
If you put Clemson in the Big Ten or the SEC, their odds to win either of those conference would be extremely steep, likely +1000 or higher. However, their odds to win the ACC are +370, and they have the second best odds to win the conference behind only Florida State. The reason? The ACC isn't a good conference. Florida State is good and Clemson should be solid once again. NC State and Louisville might be decent. The Miami preseason hype train is loud but is anyone really buying that? This isn't a strong conference and Clemson will contend for the title because of it.
Florida State is the favorite to win the ACC, so they are certainly the biggest threat to the Tigers. The two teams play in the regular season, and it wouldn't be surprising at all to see them meet up again in the ACC title game.
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