It would've been hard to imagine a worse start to the 2023 season for the Clemson football team. Not only did Duke upset Clemson Monday night in the season opener, but the Blue Devils beat the Tigers by three touchdowns. It was an all-around stunning loss, and Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney is receiving the brunt of the blame from fans.

Dabo Swinney told reporters after Duke beat the Clemson football team 28-7 that it was “the weirdest game” he's ever been a part of. While Swinney claimed that what he saw was “almost indescribable,” plenty of Clemson football fans and detractors had no trouble explaining what happened in Durham, North Carolina.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik completed 27 of 43 pass attempts for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Klubnik's clunky debut as the No. 1 Clemson quarterback caused fans to question how Swinney's team will perform without a star under center. Fans also made jokes about Swinney's opposition to players getting paid.

Klubnik's struggles seemed even worse considering how well DJ Uiagalelei played in his first game for Oregon State. After spending two years as the Tigers' starter, Uiagalelei completed 80% of his passes for 239 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in Oregon State's 42-17 victory one day before Duke beat Clemson.

Swinney's national championship contenders with Clemson were led by some of the best quarterbacks college football has seen in the last decade. Deshaun Watson had 116 total touchdowns in three years with the Tigers. Trevor Lawrence might have been the best NFL quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck.

In every season from 2015-2020, Clemson made the College Football Playoffs and lost no more than one regular-season game. The Tigers will likely have to be perfect the rest of the way in order to make the 2023-24 CFP.