Clemson Tigers Have Hope Again After Latest CFP Shift

There was a time when the Clemson Tigers ruled college football, even in a landscape that included the Nick Saban-led Alabama Crimson Tide.

Between 2015 and 2019, Clemson made it to four National Championship Games, winning two of them. Dabo Swinney appeared to be on an all-time great trajectory. The Tigers were dominating teams on a weekly basis.

Over the past several years, however, Clemson's football program has taken a massive hit, as the new NIL era has caused the Tigers to fall behind.

Last year, Clemson went just 7-6. This year, it is 6-3, but it basically has zero chance of participating in the College Football Playoff. In fact, the chances of the Tigers ever making a playoff again were bordering on slim to none.

Then, on Monday, it was announced that the 12-team CFP field would officially be expanding to 24 starting next season, which absolutely gave Clemson life.

The Tigers are no longer a top-12 team in the country. Not even close. But could Clemson sneak into a 24-team field? I absolutely believe so.

Of course, it would still take a shift from the stubborn Swinney, who would have to be more open to utilizing the transfer portal and would have to alter his obsolete recruiting methods. But it absolutely can be done.

Clemson proved in blowout losses to LSU and Miami this season that it is nowhere close to competing with the big boys. A home loss to Virginia Tech made that clear, as well.

But can the Tigers get back on track to the point where they could be a top-25 team in the nation? I certainly don't see why not.

In fact, college football's playoff expansion should serve as a motivating factor for Swinney, especially considering that it would make a lack of success that much more inexcusable.

Clemson should be able to make a 24-team postseason. There really would be no defense for the Tigers not regularly contending for it. Not when you have squads like Utah, UCLA, Wake Forest (once an ACC doormat) and Boise State coming out of the woodwork.

How did Indiana suddenly ascend so quickly? What about BYU?

There is absolutely a path to success in college football, and Clemson can unquestionably follow it. That's if Swinney is actually willing to adjust.

The Tigers have hope again. We'll see whether or not they can actually take advantage. If not, it will be time for sweeping changes.