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 haven't met expectations in recent years, but the door is wide open for them now that the College Football Playoff is expanded to 12 teams.
We're almost there. Another long college football offseason is almost over as the calendar now reads August, and the first games will begin on the 24th. 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 this offseason was a bit easier than others because of the new EA Sports NCAA 25 video game that just came out in mid July.
First off, there are going to be some rules changes this year in college football, and some fans aren’t going to like them. Perhaps the biggest change is the addition of the two-minute warning, like in the NFL. If you are like most college football fans, you're getting sick of the amount of commercials that we see during games. Well, the two-minute warning is just another way for TV Networks to pack another break into the action.
There are more changes, however, and these are ones that more fans in favor of, but some still don't like them. College football is going to look completely different next year because of expansion to the College Football Playoff to 12 teams and conference realignment. California schools playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference? Yeah, things are changing.
Conference realignment has made things look a lot different. 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, but they aren't actually in the conference.
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 some think that things could be heading in the direction of two super conferences.
This season, we will also see 12 teams make the College Football Playoff instead of just four. 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 get back to the CFP this year?
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.
Dabo Swinney needs to find a way to get his team into this 12-team playoff, or else there will be problems. The Tigers should be one of the better teams in the ACC, but because of the weakness of the conference, they might have to win it to make the CFP. That is a possibility, but there is one thing that might hold the Tigers back.
Quarterback play
When Clemson football was consistently one of the best teams in college football, they had an elite QB play every year. Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence led the Tigers to numerous successful seasons, and when their QB play dropped off, they stopped being a consistent College Football Playoff team. You can try to diagnose their issues in a lot of ways, but it might be because of the QB.
Cade Klubnik needs to have a breakout season this year if Clemson football wants to go back to being as good as they used to be. He was okay last year, but he wasn't good enough. Klubnik finished the 2023 season 260-413 for 2,580 yards, 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions. It was fine, but it wasn't good enough.
Clemson should have a good defense this year, and they have a pretty easy schedule outside of a tough non-conference game against Georgia and a huge ACC matchup against Florida State. The Tigers are expected to lose both of those games, but they still have a chance to make the College Football Playoff if they go 10-2. It would be close.
The Clemson conference schedule should be pretty easy to navigate outside of Florida State, but they need Cade Klubnik to take his game to the next level this year.
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