Clemson Football: What worries Tiger fans the most in 2018?

Clemson football is a favorite to make it back to the College Football Playoff in 2018. What worries Tiger fans most heading into the season?

The 2018 Clemson football season looks to be a bright one for the Tigers.

Clemson returns all of their starters on a defensive line that was one of the best in the country last season. The Tigers have what seems to be a higher ceiling on offense and the schedule looks very doable.

That being said, every team has something that worries a fanbase.

Every fan, no matter what team, has something that they’d say is a “weakness” or something that they think about at night, especially when the season gets closer.

Today, we want to try and identify that.

What could it be?

Here’s a list of things that come to my mind when I think about worrying during the 2018 Clemson football season:

• The defensive backfield, especially depth
• If Kelly Bryant is the QB, can he lead us to the promise land? If it’s a younger guy, can he get it done?
• Will the offensive line be stronger after getting dominated against Alabama last season?
• Could there be a “surprise team” on Clemson’s schedule that is better than expected? Say an FSU?
• Is there a game along the way that Clemson could lose that they’re not supposed to? If they do, could that keep them out of the playoff?
• What’s the kicking situation going to look like?
• Will Clemson be able to find a replacement for Dorian O’Daniel and what he brought to the table in 2017?
• Finally, can the Tigers stay healthy?

Initial Thoughts:

First, we have to pretty much throw out the “injury” related worry. No one can control that and every team suffers injuries of some kind.

Looking at the other ones, I think this is a pretty good list of what may worry Tiger fans heading into 2018. Some are wondering about the depth of the defensive backfield. Will the DBs be able to stand up and not get beat by the opposing wide-outs?

A lot of Clemson football fans are questioning Kelly Bryant’s ability. But, even if he’s not the quarterback, we have no guarantee that Trevor Lawrence or Hunter Johnson can beat Alabama.

The offensive line seems to be getting better and seems to have more talent and depth, but we never know until we’re there in the moment.

Overall, it’s a long season and anything can happen. I expect that there may be a loss somewhere along the way. I hope that it doesn’t come on the road at FSU. If the Seminoles were to somehow take a step forward and win the division, that could certainly keep Clemson out of the playoff.

There’s a few things that may have Clemson football fans worried heading into 2018, but I think the list of unknowns for the Tigers is much smaller than that of other programs. And Tiger fans should take comfort in that.

Next: 5 Neutral site games Clemson should schedule

Every team has question marks, but the great ones overcome that adversity and I expect nothing different from Clemson this season.

I want to hear from you, Tiger fans. What’s your biggest worry heading into this season? Comment below or Tweet us @RubbingtheRock!