Clemson Predicted to be on 'Wrong Side' of CFP Conversation

The Clemson Tigers can't be worse than they were in 2025 when they finished 7-6, could they?

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney made sweeping changes to his program after a miserable season that saw the team drop from the Top 25 early in the season despite having a roster that sent nine players into this year's NFL draft within the first five rounds.

Swinney added help for the defense via the transfer portal, but stubbornly chose not to add elite help there for a quarterback that could keep the Tigers within striking distance of Miami, the clear favorite to win the ACC.

How successful Clemson is this season should come down to how effective quarterback Tait Reynolds or Christopher Vizzina are in their first year as a starter in new offensive coordinator Chad Morris' system.

Brad Crawford of CBS Sports is predicting Clemson to finish with an 8-4 record with wins over Georgia Southern, North Carolina, California, Charleston Southern, Florida State, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, and Duke but losses against LSU, Miami, Virginia Tech, and South Carolina.

Crawford doesn’t think Clemson stays in the College Football Playoff race through November.

"Dabo Swinney's out to prove a point this fall at Clemson with a likely unranked team to begin the regular season," he wrote. "The Tigers should have a stout defense, but breaking in a new quarterback, with Chad Morris returning as the program's offensive mastermind, will have its growing pains. 

"Unless Louisville or SMU struggles, losses to Miami and Virginia Tech would leave the Tigers outside the ACC title picture and likely on the wrong side of the College Football Playoff conversation, given projected setbacks to SEC programs that would bookend the campaign. Shockingly, the Gamecocks have won their last two trips to Death Valley under Shane Beamer."

Losing to South Carolina would certainly be a disappointment for Swinney and Clemson, as Beamer is squarely on the hot seat heading into the upcoming season.

The Tigers don't appear to have the juice to make the CFP this fall, though Swinney has a history of getting more out of less talented teams.

Clemson could be a surprise this fall, but an 8-4 season wouldn't leave anyone around the program satisfied.