Clemson Football: The difference between a program & a one-year wonder

There’s a difference between a one-year wonder a program built to last like Clemson football

While the Clemson football team was on an open date, we were treated to a College Football weekend full of upsets, intrigue and entertaining action.

The biggest results from the day?

• #6 LSU upset at home by Mississippi State (44-34)
• #3 Oklahoma upset at home by Kansas State (38-35)

LSU, who had finished the 2019 season with an undefeated record, stepped into this year thinking it would have success at a similar clip. What the Tigers found out very quickly, though, is that there’s a difference between a one-hit wonder and a program built to last.

LSU could learn a thing or two from Clemson football

There’s no doubt the Bayou Bengals were the best team in the country last year. They were able to beat teams with an explosive offense that set all kinds of records paired with a physical defense. The result saw them come away with a National Championship victory over Clemson.

But that was last year.

The mistake that LSU fans made, though, was believing that a single result on a given night meant that their program was at the same level as the Clemson football program. That’s simply not the case.

You see, that loss to Mississippi State confirms what many thought about LSU all along: The Tigers were a one-hit wonder. It’s very similar to other teams we’ve seen in the past have a magical year that ends with a championship, never to be seen again.

It’s not to say that LSU isn’t a top-10 program or that the Tigers won’t be back in the CFB Playoff at some point in the future. What it is to say is that they simply haven’t reached the level of Clemson football yet when it comes to reloading.

While Clemson continues to make trips to the CFB Playoff year-after-year, LSU’s carriage has turned back into a pumpkin. It’s just the way things are.

I believe LSU is on the rise. They’re recruiting at a high level, but the one thing we can take away from the Tigers’ first game on the field in 2020 is simply this: Let’s put to bed the notion that LSU is on the same level as Clemson, Alabama or even Ohio State when it comes to program sustainability.

They’re simply Oklahoma with a ballgown dress and some magical slippers that made for one crazy season. Nothing more, nothing less.

One-hit wonders come and go, but the Clemson football program is here to stay.