Clemson football is anticipated to be the ACC title favorite in 2022. They should also compete for the College Football Playoff National Championship. In fact, regarding consensus national power rankings, the Tigers trail just Ohio State, Georgia, and Alabama.

As Clemson football prepares for its season opener on Sept. 5, we'll look at a few reasons to be optimistic as the Tigers seek their fourth national championship.

Last year, the Clemson football offense was a recurring issue, with no touchdowns scored in the opening against Georgia. They had only nine points scored while 5-star quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei gave up ten interceptions. The Tigers were second-worst in the ACC in total offense, failing to score more than 27 points per game.

It's a completely different story on defense, though. Clemson football's D is filled to the brim with blue-chip talent, including linemen Myles Murphy and Bryan Bresee. It should be easy to get things right on this side of the ball. Their D alone should put the Tigers back in the Top 10 nationally.

Not surprisingly, Clemson football's defense is among the three reasons why the Tigers will win the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2022.

3 reasons Clemson football will win 2022 CFP National Championship

3. Momentum

Clemson was 4-3 following a loss to Pittsburgh in October 2021. After that game, however, the Tigers never lost again. They transformed their problems into late-season success. They finished 2021 with a 10-3 record that put them one tiebreaker scenario away from another ACC title game appearance. Sadly, that did not bounce their way, but Clemson enters 2022 with the longest winning streak in the Power Five at six games.

Despite the turmoil early last season, Clemson won double digits for the 11th consecutive year. That is the second longest streak in FBS history. In other words, things gradually but steadily improved. Furthermore, raw skill is important. According to 247Sports, 63 percent of Clemson's 2022 players are four- or five-star recruits. That's a “blue-chip ratio” that has traditionally predicted success and title contention. That percentage is tops in the ACC and eighth nationwide.

2. Will Shipley leads a strong run game

Clemson football had just two rushing yards in its 2021 opener. The Tigers were 99th in the country in running yards per game after four games in 2021. Clemson then finished November unbeaten, ranking 24th in the country in running at 213 yards per game. They had one game recording 265 rushing yards (South Carolina) and another with 333 rushing yards (Wake Forest).

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All three on-field architects of that turnaround are expected to return in 2022. The terrific running trio is led by projected starter Will Shipley (739 yards), followed by Kobe Pace (641 yards), and Phil Mafah (610 yards). If Clemson's offensive line continues to improve under first-year coach Thomas Austin, that will be a significant strength to help the RBs find more open lanes.

Shipley, in particular, should be an exciting sophomore. He is, in fact, a preseason first-team all-conference selection. He arrived at Clemson as the No. 2 high school rushing back in the country as a true freshman in 2021. Despite missing two games in the middle of the season due to a leg injury, Shipley showed promise, running for 738 yards and 11 touchdowns. That's the second most by a Clemson true freshman behind Travis Etienne's 13 in 2017. His presence in the backfield in 2022 will be critical to Clemson's prospects of turning around its offensive woes.

1. Elite defense

The days of winning a national championship exclusively using grit and grind are long gone. Don't tell the Tigers, though.

Take note as well that Georgia won its first national championship in four decades last year by combining a modest offense with a dazzling, NFL first-round pick-laden defense.

The Bulldogs had the nation's best scoring defense, restricting opponents to just 10.2 points per game. That's actually a good sign for Clemson football. Remember that the Tigers finished second in the country in 2021 by allowing just 14.8 points per game.

The Tigers' whole defensive line is also returning, led by tackles Bryan Bresee and Tyler Davis. They also have great defensive ends Myles Murphy and Xavier Thomas. That's a helluva deep front four, while linebacker Trenton Simpson and safety Andrew Mukuba (the reigning conference defensive rookie of the year) round out a loaded secondary. The Tigers' defense is so good that many believe it can actually compensate for a lot of their offensive shortcomings.

Bryan Bresee, in particular, showed promise as the ACC Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2020, with 33 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks. He was on his way to having another big year as a sophomore when he tore his ACL in the fourth game of the season. Despite this, he was named third-team All-ACC in recognition of his domination in such a short period. He's back and healthy for 2022, and he's on track to have his finest year ever.

Meanwhile, Myles Murphy's domination at defensive end may be hampered by the fact that he must share the wealth with so many other excellent linemen at Clemson. Still, he is the best of the lot. Last season, he had seven sacks, 14 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and 12 runs stopped at or below the line of scrimmage. Crazy numbers, right? Murphy is a potential NFL first-round pick who will anchor a d-line that is as deep as they come.