Clemson Tigers
2021 Preseason Ranking
AP (3), Coaches (2)
Final Record: 10-3
What Went Wrong?
Clemson didn’t win the ACC Championship. That’s not okay.
The defense was national title-good, but the offense fell flat, couldn’t do anything on the ground, couldn’t move the chains, and for the first time since 2014, the program didn’t enjoy a conference title.
To be fair, it’s hard to say things went wrong with a ten-win season finished off with six straight victories, a dominant shutout performance of the rival – South Carolina – and a good bowl win over Iowa State, but that’s where Clemson is at under Dabo Swinney.
Celebrate the positives – all teams should do that, no matter what – but either you win big things, or you don’t.
It was the offense.
The D was eighth in the nation despite a few key injuries – no one got more than 27 points on that group – but the program with all that talent and a quarterback with the upside of DJ Uiagalelei was 120th in the nation in passing efficiency and 100th overall in total offense.
But there’s another way to look at it …
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Why 2022 Will Be Better: Returning Talent
The offense was totally inept at times and couldn’t throw the ball a lick down the field or to convert on third downs, and yet it took a pick six for Georgia to pull out a 10-3 win in the opener, NC State needed to hang on for dear life, and the 27-17 loss Pitt wasn’t that bad.
That’s it. Three losses were away from Death Valley coming against the eventual national champion, an NC State team that finished with nine wins, and the eventual ACC champion.
This year’s defense should be even better if everyone can stay healthy – the defensive line is going to be a monster with all the NFL talent returning.
The offense can’t/won’t be that bad again with a slew of experienced receivers back, a slew of good backs for the rotation, and a revamped Uiagalelei who’s in fantastic shape and should look far more like the rising superstar who put up massive numbers during his brief time in 2020.
Why 2022 Will Be Better: Schedule
Clemson Preview | Top 10 Players | Schedule Analysis
It’s hardly a walk in the park with a trip to Notre Dame to go along with landmines against Florida State and Boston College on the road and South Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest and Miami at home, but … come on.
This ain’t the SEC West or Big Ten East the Tigers are dealing with.
Again, it might seem strange to think a team that won ten games is about to have a rebound year, but that’s exactly what’s about to happen. It’s more like Clemson’s offense is going to rebound, the defense is going to be the defense, and 2021 should seem like just a strange blip.
CFN Predictions of Every Game
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CFN Preview 2021: All 131 Teams
2022 Bowl Projections | Preseason Rankings 1-131
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