Clemson is not in an ideal position after starting the season 1-2. However, the losses were to a top-5 LSU team by a touchdown and a soon-to-be-ranked undefeated Georgia Tech team on the road by a last-second field goal. So, things might not be as bad as they seem.
Former Washington and Boise State coach Chris Petersen, now a desk analyst for FOX's college football coverage, says there is a lot of season left in 2025 and believes the Tigers still have time to rally.
Dabo Swinney asked about preseason expectations after today's loss to GA Tech:
— Matt Dowell (@MattDowellTV) September 13, 2025
"It's about what you do & we have not performed to our capabilities. But again, how about let's give LSU some credit? How about we give GT some credit? These are good teams. We're not entitled to win" pic.twitter.com/xhevB4rCuO
Petersen said that the key for Swinney and Clemson is to just focus on each week and not worry about looking ahead.
"{LSU and Georgia Tech] are two really good teams...who knows what those records look like at the end of the season? But you cannot get too far ahead of yourself," Petersen said. "When we're talking about all this stuff...it kind of makes my skin crawl a little bit when we're talking about undefeated seasons, and they're going to run the table... You've got to take this thing one at a time. I don't care what kind of talent you have, if you don't, you're going to get beat. Especially in this NIL era where the parity is starting to shift a little bit."
Before the season, it was reported that Swinney said he believed the Tigers could be the first team to go 16-0, but the coach insisted his words were taken out of context. Either way, 16-0 has been off the table for two weeks, but winning the ACC conference still remains a goal if Clemson can turn things around.
Getting the offense on the same page
While Petersen was preaching patience, Bruce Feldman said that the Tigers have to figure out their team chemistry, especially on offense. That side of the ball was not expected to struggle with an experience group around three-year starting quarterback Cade Klubnik.
"I don't think...no one's calling for Dabo Swinney's job. This isn't like a Billy Napier situation at Florida or even a Mike Gundy situation at Oklahoma State," Feldman said. "You have a lot of players who have played a lot of football. You have a third-year starting quarterback, you have a very experienced offensive line...they're not playing great right now. How do you snap them out of it."
That's the million-dollar question and Clemson has the next nine games to figure it out.