Clemson Football: ESPN FPI high on Tiger defensive unit
The Clemson football team isn’t considered the favorite to win the National Championship for just any reason. The Tigers are ranked No. 1 defensively.
The Clemson football team enters the 2020 season as one of the heavy favorites to get to back to the CFB Playoff and compete for a National Championship.
The Tigers return top-tier talent on both sides of the ball and are poised to make another run to the CFB Playoff for a sixth-straight season.
ESPN’s FPI released its top-ranked offenses and defenses in the country using several different projections and the Clemson football defense was ranked No. 1. The Tigers’ offense was ranked No. 2.
Using FPI's Expected Points Added:
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 1, 2020
Clemson has the top-ranked defense in the country by more than two points.
Ohio State boasts the top offense, more than three points better than the closest competition. pic.twitter.com/VWnNM0QX5J
According to the projections, Ohio State and Alabama have better-ranked offenses than the Tigers, but no one is expected to have a better defense.
This comes as a bit of a surprise in terms of the defense being ranked No. 1 simply because of the loss of Isaiah Simmons. The Tigers have to find a way to replace his production, but it’s easy to see why projections think they’ll be able to do just that.
First, Clemson football still has Brent Venables on board as the best defensive coordinator in the nation.
Second, the Tigers have the nation’s deepest defensive line with talent that run three-deep.
Though Clemson loses some experience in the defensive backfield with K’Von Wallace, Tanner Muse and A.J. Terrell moving on to the NFL, there’s still plenty of talent. The Tigers will return Derion Kendrick, Nolan Turner and a plethora of other talented options.
Next. Clemson became relevant at the perfect time. dark
Clemson football fans are going to have a lot to look forward to during the 2020 season. We all know about the talent the offense brings to the table, but the truth is that the defense is going to be nasty. We’re going to see Venables move back to a 4-3 base and opposing offenses are going to have trouble finding ways to have success against such a talented unit.