Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers had an abysmal start to their 2024 season against Georgia but have recovered in an awesome way, as the Tigers are now one of the hottest teams in college football.
Losing 34-3 to the No. 1 ranked team in the country (now No. 2) isn’t the worst thing in the world if you bounce back the way the Tigers have. This season could have went downhill fast if Clemson didn’t respond, but that’s exactly what Swinney and the Tigers did.
The Tigers’ offense in particular, has taken the next step at a desperately needed time. Starting quarterback Cade Klubnik looks like a completely different player, and the offense has soared because of it. He’s looked poised in the pocket and has delivered strikes at a consistent rate. It seems Garrett Riley has finally taken the training wheels off and let Klubnik takes some shots.
With Clemson’s improvement, come early discussions surrounding the College Football Playoff. The Athletic recently updated their projections after Week 4 (subscription required), with Clemson ranking aa the first team out. One spot out of the playoff.
The way people were talking about this team after Week 1 made it tough to complain about a projection like this. That being said, I still believe Clemson is the best team in the ACC over Miami, who got the No. 3 seed as ACC Champions, which would give the Hurricanes a first-round bye.