It's been a whirlwind of an offseason for Dabo Swinney and Clemson football.
The legendary Tigers head coach is fresh off another playoff berth and ACC title and he's been recruiting like a madman, visiting former players in the USFL, leading the Savannah Bananas onto the field down the hill, and landing former Clemson hoops players to play tight end.
To say Swinney has been busy has been an understatement, and there are still about four months to go until the regular season kicks off.
And this may be the most anticipated season since before COVID-19 for Clemson.
Don't believe me? Just look at all the post-spring rankings and see how high every major publication and expert is on the Tigers. Now multiply those expectations by 10 and that's how fans perceive the upcoming season.
ESPN studio host Matt Barrie said something this week that got me thinking: is this a national title or bust season for Swinney and the Tigers?
"This is the year they've been waiting for."
That phrase right there is both true and telling. One, it's been a minute since Clemson truly felt like it had the pieces to win a national title. And two, anything less than a national title would be a disappointment.
So, in my opinion, yes, this is a national title or bust season for Clemson. It's been about seven years since the Tigers' last national title under Swinney and while that's not a long time for most programs, for one like Clemson that was the class of college football for about a decade, it has felt like an eternity.
Bringing back the most production of any team in the Power Four after a playoff year with five or six potential first-round 2026 NFL Draft picks on the roster, anything less than a national title game appearance or win would be a disappointment. That's fair to say.
Sure, a lot could happen from now until the playoff in terms of injuries, but as it stands following spring ball, Clemson is a consensus top 3-5 team in the country and a national title has to be the main goal right now, nothing less.