The Clemson Tigers could completely turn the tables against California this Friday.
The Clemson Tigers are riding back-to-back wins heading into their Week 4 matchup against California, and while that used to be business as usual for Dabo Swinney's squad, it's now something that should be celebrated.
When Clemson was hammered by LSU on opening night and then barely beat Georgia Southern at home in Week 2, many felt that the Tigers would fall to North Carolina this past Saturday. And when the Tar Heels got out to a 17-3 lead, people were already busy writing Clemson's obituary.
But the Tigers rallied for a 28-20 victory over UNC, setting up an ever-important meeting at California this Friday.
Why is it so imperative? Because a win would move Clemson to 3-1 and put Swinney and Co. and a very interesting position heading into its Week 5 matchup against Miami.
We obviously can't get too far ahead of ourselves. The Tigers still have a whole lot of work to do. But we also can't ignore just how much ground they can actually make up here.
California is a challenge in and of itself. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is a heck of a quarterback, and the Golden Bears also have a solid group of weapons. Cal's defense is a bit of a work in progress, but it has shown some potential, as well.
Plus, this is a tough road matchup for a Clemson squad that will be traveling coast-to-cast for the game.
Nothing about this ACC clash will be simple for the Tigers, and it will be important for Clemson not to overlook this game just because Miami is on tap the following week.
But just imagine how much the narrative will change if the Tigers go into Berkeley and beat California? Suddenly, Clemson will be a quasi-contender in the conference again, and the showdown versus the Hurricanes — at home, I might add — would be raucous.
I would even go as far to say that if the Tigers are able to come away with a win this week, I might even pick them to upset Miami on Oct. 3. Yes, that's how serious this Cal game is.
Yes, you'll still have your fair share of doubters even if Clemson does emerge with a victory over the Golden Bears, which is understandable. The Tigers have done nothing to earn anyone's trust in quite some time now.
But as I've said previously, I honestly believe something clicked for Clemson during the second half of its triumph over North Carolina. We'll see if that ends up being true this Friday.
