The Clemson Tigers started the college football season as one of the nation's powerhouse teams. Head coach Dabo Swinney saw his team start the year as the No. 4 team in the country according to the AP Poll. Four weeks later, Kade Klubnik and Co. sit at 1-3. Clemson dropped a home game to the Syracuse Orange, starting ACC play with a loss and putting the team way behind the 8-ball.

It has been more than a decade since Swinney's team got off to a start similar to this season's. The veteran coach is one of the most respected figures in the sport. However, his future is in question after an embarrassing beginning to the season. Clemson went from a bona-fide College Football Playoff contender to a team well outside the top 25 after four games.

Clemson's fall from grace has dominated headlines across college football. Insider Joel Klatt offered his thoughts on the program on his podcast, The Joel Klatt show. According to him, the Tigers' disastrous start in 2025 proved his preseason pick incorrect almost immediately.

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“This was a playoff team from a year ago that hired a defensive coordinator I believed in and was just in the playoff,” Klatt said. “I don't know what to learn from this. This is just an utter failure from Clemson. An utter failure. There's no other way to put it.”

Clemson had lofty expectations at the beginning of the season. A close loss to the LSU Tigers sparked some questions, but fans were not concerned. However, back-to-back losses to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Syracuse is unacceptable for a program known for competing for national titles.

The Orange lost their starting quarterback and still beat the Tigers by double digits. Swinney's job may not be in trouble yet, but his seat gets warmer and warmer every day. Clemson has a chance to get back on track on Saturday with a game against the UNC Tar Heels and Bill Belichick. The matchup is an important one for two programs reeling from poor starts.