The Clemson Tigers' freefall from dynasty to disaster is now so complete that one of college football's most prominent voices has put them on the official watchlist for broken programs.
Following the Tigers' stunning 46-45 loss to Duke—a game that dropped them to 3-5—On3 analyst Josh Pate had seen enough. On his Late Kick show, Pate officially designated Clemson for his "Sarah McLachlan special," a segment reserved for programs in a state of utter despair.
"I have no choice," Pate said, striking a somber tone. "Clemson has to be the Sarah McLachlan special. Clemson has six consecutive losses to a Power Four team. I don't even understand how that's possible."
'This Place Used to Be Called Death Valley'
Pate unleashed a barrage of stunning statistics that paint a grim picture of a program that has lost its identity and its aura. The most glaring? The complete erosion of what was once the most feared home-field advantage in sports.
"This place used to be called Death Valley, used to be," Pate emphasized. "They've lost half a dozen games there in a row to Power Four teams. They were 62-5 in that spot from 2011 through the middle of last year, before this run started."
The loss to Duke wasn't just another defeat; it was a historic one. "They had been 134-0 when scoring 45 points or more," Pate noted. "They just lost a game where they scored 45."
The 'Trend Line' of a Full-Blown Collapse
Pate dismissed any notion that this is a "down year," instead pointing to a clear, multi-season trend of decline.
"Clemson total losses, per year starting in 2019, tell me if you can spot the trend here: One loss, two losses, three losses, three losses, four losses, four losses, five losses," he recited.
That trend has brought Dabo Swinney's program to a place it hasn't been in two decades: on the verge of missing the postseason entirely.
"They've got Florida State, away at Louisville, Furman, and away at South Carolina still to go," Pate explained. "They need to win three of those four to make a bowl... Yes, Dabo Swinney's team is in danger of missing a bowl."
To cap off the brutal takedown, Pate pointed to the Tigers' upcoming game against Florida State—once a marquee, national-title-implication matchup—as the ultimate sign of their new, lowly status.
"I thought this may be one of the marquee games of the season in July," Pate joked. "It's on ACC Network. They don't even count that in the Nielsen ratings, that's how badly they're trying to hide this game from you."