Clemson Football: Since when did past successes lead to relevancy today?
The dominance of the Clemson football program has left many dumbfounded
The Clemson football program currently sits atop the CFB world and, really, it’s not even all that close.
The Tigers have made five-straight trips to the CFB Playoff and have won two of the last four National Titles. Dabo Swinney and his Clemson football program seem almost unstoppable and the Tigers are continuously getting better.
With the emergence of the Dabo Swinney-led the Tigers comes chatter from opposing fan bases wishing to somehow be in the seat of a Clemson football fan. So, what have they done? They’ve resorted to talking about how great their respective programs were many, many, many years ago as if it has some effect on today’s game.
Clemson football is living in the here-and-now
Your past success has no bearing on relevancy today.
It’s a tough pill to swallow, but it’s one that many fans across the country are facing currently. When we discuss ‘bluebloods,’ people are quick to point out how Clemson isn’t a blueblood and how the Tigers aren’t even in the discussion.
Instead, programs like Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, USC, Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, Tennessee and even Georgia make the list.
Other than Alabama and Ohio State, do you remember the last time any of these programs were relevant? Michigan’s last National Championship was in 1997. Nebraska? The same year because they were considered ‘Co-Champions.’
What about Southern Cal? Well, for all the ‘blueblood hype’ that the Trojans receive, they haven’t won a National Championship since 2004 and then you have to go all the way back to 1978 where they were Co-Champions with Alabama to find the next recent.
Florida is somehow in the ‘blueblood discussion’ even though the Gators have just three National Championships in their history- the same as Clemson football. Oh, and let’s not even get started on Georgia, who hasn’t won a National Title since 1980.
For all those saying how Clemson only came to relevancy in the past few years, I have two things to say: First, that’s not true. Second, so what?
Clemson won a National Championship in 1981. The Tigers have had several undefeated seasons in their program’s history- and they should’ve just went ahead and claimed National Titles since anyone else can. Second, who cares if they have arrived just now.
How many programs in the modern era of College Football have had the same amount of dominance as Clemson? The answer is not many.
Next. The next steps once the Tigers return to campus. dark
You can continue to celebrate your pre-World War II championships and outdated successes all you desire, but the truth of the matter is that no program is on the same level as Clemson right now and that dominance is something not many ‘bluebloods’ have ever even experienced.