College football is back, and we anxiously await September 4 and the return of Clemson football.
The Tigers have a Labor Day matchup with the Mike Elko and the Duke Blue Devils, which some years wouldn’t be a major concern for a program such as Clemson. Times change, and Duke has a great roster with top-tier head coaching coming off an ACC Coach of the Year first season with a program and home-field advantage against the Tigers.
Even so, this is a completely different Clemson football team we’ll see in 2023 than we did in 2022. Cade Klubnik is now under center, and new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley is exactly the type of coach the Tigers needed to turn things around on the offensive side of the ball.
The question is, how will they look in their first matchup of the season? A few see this as a game where Clemson could be on upset alert, but USA TODAY Sports experts don’t seem to believe so. In their Week 1 predictions, all six experts making picks chose the Tigers to win the game.
On paper, Clemson has more talent on both sides of the ball and should handle their business against the Blue Devils. The thing is, games aren’t played on paper, and Duke has a quarterback and head coach who can will their teams into a serious battle with the Tigers.
From my perspective, this matchup simply comes down to the Clemson offense. If Klubnik shows up and shows out with Riley, Will Shipley, and Phil Mafah do what they do best on the ground, and the offensive line and receivers put together a serviceable performance, Clemson should win comfortably.
This matchup is a great Week 1 test and an exciting game for college football fans.