There are certain programs in college football that are held to a higher standard. For years, under the leadership of head coach Dabo Swinney, Clemson has been in that category.
However. in recent seasons, the Tigers have seen a troubling trend develop. The program has started regularly losing games to inferior opponents.
That irritating problem popped back up on Saturday night in a lopsided 33-21 home loss to Louisville. Though it was just the second loss of the season for the Tigers, not all losses are the same.
Being blown out by Georgia 34-3 in the opener was bad. Given the talent on the Clemson roster, this program should never have its nose rubbed in the dirt like that by anyone.
However, that loss was essentially a road game given that the game was played in Atlanta, Georgia, the Bulldogs' backyard. What's more, Georgia is a national title contender as the Bulldogs are currently ranked second in the national polls.
But to be thoroughly dominated at home (in a night game, nonetheless) by Louisville is completely unacceptable. While, the Cardinals are a competent team, prior to Saturday they had not beaten a ranked opponent all season long. What's more, their best win was against either a Georgia Tech team that is currently 5-4 on the year or a Boston College team that is currently 4-4.
However, in recent seasons, it has almost become an annual tradition for the Tigers to lose to a team it has no business losing to.
The trend began in 2022 when the No. 8 Tigers lost at home to in-state rival South Carolina 31-30. Clemson entered that game 10-1 while the unranked Gamecocks were just 7-4. That day, the Tigers took a 31-20 lead with under five minutes left to play in the third quarter but did not score again allowing South Carolina to tally the last ten points of the game. That loss ended any hope of another appearance in the then-four-team College Football Playoff.
Of course, last season began with a loss that was unthinkable as Clemson fell at Duke 28-7. There should never be a world in which the Tigers are dominated by the Blue Devils but that's what happened to open 2023.
That loss essentially ended the Tigers' hopes of a playoff birth before the season even left the station. What's more, it was the precursor to a disappointing season that saw Swinney's program fail to win ten games for the first time since going 6-7 in 2010.
Now, Tiger fans have to wrestle with the reality of dropping another game in which their team was heavy favorites over an unranked opponent. The question now will be whether or not this loss has lingering effects.
The remainder of the regular season sees Clemson face four more opponents that should not beat the Tigers, at least on paper. However, playing back-to-back road games against Virginia Tech and No. 23 Pitt will test the resolve and resilience of this team.
Then, after a home game against The Citadel, the season wraps up with the annual meeting with the Gamecocks at home. Given that South Carolina just stunned a top-10 Texas A&M team in blowout fashion, that's also a game that can't be taken for granted.
Unfortunately for Clemson, its ACC destiny is no longer controllable. However, given how chaotic this season has been around the country, the Tigers might be able to play their way back into a playoff birth via an at-large bid (assuming that they don't luck their way into the ACC Championship Game).
The only way that will happen, though, is for this program to stop losing games to teams that it should beat. That happened again against the Cardinals on Saturday but that has to be the only time this year that Clemson spits the bit if the Tigers are going to have any hope of returning to the College Football Playoff.