As we head into the final month of the regular season for Clemson football, here are five reasons the Tigers are set to repeat as National Champions.
If you listened to the vast majority of national analysts when they talk about Clemson football, you would’ve thought the Tigers had struggled through the entire season.
Because the Clemson football team struggled in one game against North Carolina several weeks ago, fans and analysts alike are punishing the Tigers and acting as if they’re damaged goods heading into the CFB Playoff discussion.
Just a few weeks ago, many were saying that Clemson football didn’t deserve to be in the playoff and that the Tigers could miss out on a playoff berth even with a perfect 13-0 record and a conference championship.
Now, analysts pretty much agree that Clemson football will be in the CFB Playoff if they win out, but no one is predicting the Tigers to win once they’re in.
Clemson has been compared to 2014 Florida State. People say the Tigers are just not as good as last year’s team and that they won’t be able to compete with the likes of Alabama, LSU or even Ohio State.
Clemson is the projected No. 3 or No. 4 seed by the vast majority of outlets when the season comes to an end and the Tigers are being overlooked again-and-again.
Here are five reasons the Clemson football team won’t just make it to the CFB Playoff, but why the Tigers are set up to repeat as National Champions.
5. The CFB Playoff picture is clear
Let’s get this one out of the way first: Clemson isn’t damaged goods.
While the Tigers may not have lived up to expectations in the heads of fans or analysts, they’ve still blown out every single opponent except one this entire season.
They’re 8-0. And the path to the CFB Playoff is clear: Win and you’re in.
Clemson is one of just a handful of teams (Alabama, LSU, Ohio State and Penn State) that completely controls its own destiny.
The Tigers enter November with an opportunity to win out and be in the playoff, and there’s no reason to believe that they won’t do just that.
4. The offense is starting to click
The offense didn’t look in sync to begin the season, but the unit is slowly coming into its own.
Trevor Lawrence has looked much crisper in his passes and has made better decisions with the football as of late. Travis Etienne has been exploding for big yardage totals throughout the last month after being a bit quiet earlier in the season.
We’re starting to see the wide receiver core showcase its talent and depth, with the likes of Tee Higgins, Amari Rodgers, Justyn Ross, Diondre Overton, Frank Ladson and Joseph Ngata all at Lawrence’s disposal.
Though the offensive line struggled a bit in the UNC game, the unit has been lights out for the most part since then.
When you have as much talent in the skill-positions, and an offensive line like the Tigers do, there’s no reason to believe this offense can be shutdown when it begins to click on all cylinders. And that is happening right before our eyes.
3. The defense is dominant
As much as analysts want to penalize the Clemson football team for the slow start the offense had, no one seems to want to talk about the defense.
People are just ignoring the fact that the Tigers have the single-best defender in the nation in Isaiah Simmons. People want to just gloss over the fact that the Tigers’ defense is ranked No. 3 in the nation in terms of total defense despite losing all of that talent from last year’s group.
Though it’s being done in a different way, the Clemson football defensive unit is just as dominant as last year’s group. If you want to ignore that, you’ll be sorry come playoff time.
2. The Tigers have been there before
You can talk all day about how ‘this is a new year’ and how ‘last year doesn’t matter,’ but experience does matter no matter how much you want to pretend it doesn’t.
All of Clemson’s major contributors on offense- that unit that put up 44 on Alabama- have been in the CFB Playoff. They know what it’s like to contribute on a team that went a perfect 15-0. No other program in the country knows what that feels like.
Ohio State has great talent, but let’s see what Justin Fields does when he’s faced with adversity. The same can be said with Joe Burrow.
If Clemson runs the table here in November and wins the ACC Championship game, the Tigers will be the most experienced team in the CFB Playoff. That counts for more than anyone wants to give credit.
1. An Experienced Coaching Staff
There is not a better coaching staff in the country than Clemson’s.
Let me repeat that: There is no better coaching staff in the country than what the Tigers currently possess.
Not Ohio State. Not LSU. Not Oklahoma. Not Notre Dame. Not Penn State. Not even Alabama.
Dabo Swinney is arguably the best coach in the country, but what gives him the upper hand are the assistants that he’s placed around him.
Brent Venables is the best Defensive Coordinator in the land. Though Clemson football fans sometimes disagree with Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott’s play-calling, they still have a great rapport when it comes to CFB Playoff games.
When you give this staff almost a month to plan for a game, they’re going to throw stuff at you that you had no clue was coming. They’re going to play to their strengths and test your weaknesses and more times than not, Clemson wins the game.
Sure, it’s easy to get caught up in the flashiness of Ohio State, LSU and even Alabama. But don’t forget who the reigning National Champions are. They’re in the discussion for a reason and Clemson’s not going anywhere anytime soon.