Heather Dinich has been somewhat critical of the Clemson football team entering the 2024 season.
Earlier this month, the veteran ESPN reporter and analyst named the Tigers as her “most overrated” team in the preseason Top 25 polls.
Appearing on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio on Thursday, Dinich gave her thoughts on the Tigers’ season-opening contest against the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Tigers are ranked No. 14 in both the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 poll; Georgia is ranked No. 1.
Dinich said the question of how far Clemson has fallen from the sport’s elite will be answered by how well they perform against Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs.
“I think this is a really good barometer to see: is Clemson back on the national stage, or is not using the transfer portal really hurting Dabo Swinney as much as the narrative out there?” Dinich said.
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Dinich also gave a prediction for Saturday’s game, which sees the Tigers as 13.5-point underdogs (FanDuel Sportsbook).
“I expect it to be close in the first half and then Georgia pulls away,” Dinich offered. “These are two of the country’s best defenses. When I look at it… (Clemson has) got to get a good game out of Cade Klubnik. They’ve got to get explosive plays. He cannot turn the ball over and give Georgia a short field because they’re gonna score repeatedly every time that happens. And they’ve got to be able to run the ball effectively and give Klubnik some time.”
Dinich credited Clemson for how they closed the 2023 season by winning their last five games after a brutal 4-4 start. The Tigers pulled an upset against a Notre Dame team that was ranked No. 12 in the nation. A month and a half later, they put together a 28-point fourth-quarter comeback against Kentucky in the Gator Bowl.
“You’ve got to give credit to Clemson for not collapsing completely,” Dinich said. “USC did the complete opposite and became unraveled, while Clemson pulled it together. If they can sustain that success and Klubnik takes another step forward, they should be a contender in the ACC.
“And to me, that door is open even wider now after we saw Florida State play because they’re not going to win the league if they keep playing like that.”
Clemson-Georgia kicks off at noon ET Saturday. The game will be televised on ABC.
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