Ad Disclosure
Kirk Herbstreit said on ESPN’s College GameDay Saturday morning that Clemson is a team the ACC has to watch out for in 2024.
Florida State is the favorite to win the conference. SMU is a trendy pick to come in and make the title game in its first season. But Clemson is hovering. The Tigers went 9-4 last season and missed out on the ACC title game for just the second time in 9 years. With quarterback Cade Klubnik another year older and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley moving into Year 2 with the program, the offense is the biggest question mark.
If it clicks, Clemson has the talent to challenge for an ACC crown and the College Football Playoff berth that comes with it.
“Clemson, to me, is the team you better look out for,” Herbstreit said. “Everybody’s making fun of Dabo. Everybody’s talking about how he’s not doing the portal. Everybody’s talking about how he’s being left behind.
“His defense will be good and keep them in every game they play. His quarterback now has a lot of experience. They’ve got skill and they’re better at receiver. Clemson is a very dangerous team.”
Kirk Herbstreit on the new-look ACC: “Clemson, to me, is the team you’d better look out for. Everybody’s making fun of Dabo… Clemson, I think, is a very dangerous team.”
“The sleeper in the ACC… SMU.” #CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/oKMTF4KQwL
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 24, 2024
Of course, we’ve done this before with Clemson and been burned. Since Trevor Lawrence left town, the Tigers have felt off. The defense has been consistently excellent, but the offense has ranked 71st, 39th, and 51st in Bill Connelly’s final SP+ rankings of the last 3 years.
In 2021, the Tigers were sitting at 4-3 before ripping off 6 straight wins. In 2022, Clemson started 8-0 but was battered by an unranked Notre Dame team and then lost at home to South Carolina. Last year, the Tigers entered the month of November at 4-4.
The Tigers have lost 2 of their last 3 season-openers, and they look like a prime candidate to lose in Week 1 again this season.
Georgia is a 13.5-point favorite (ESPN Bet) over Clemson in the Aflack Kickoff game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium next Saturday. Clemson also plays a ranked NC State team at home and a top-10 Florida State on the road before the season reaches the halfway point. It also has a potentially tricky nonconference game against Appalachian State — the favorites to win the Sun Belt.
Clemson could get off to a strong start and look like a full-blown contender. Or Dabo Swinney could have more of the same.
The key is the Klubnik-Riley partnership. The offense brings back 7 linemen who started at least 2 games last year, its top rusher, its top tight end, and 4 of the top 5 wideouts. Klubnik needs to be more clinical in the pass game, particularly pushing the ball down the field.
Clemson only produced 30 plays last year that gained at least 20 yards through the air. Klubnik went 17-for-42 on passes that traveled at least 20 yards through the air, throwing 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
At ESPN Bet, the Tigers are +360 to win the ACC. Only Florida State (+300) has better odds. Miami is a close third (+375)
NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, MA, KS, KY, LA, TN, NC, CO, AZ, IA, IL, IN, MI, OH
Must be 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
