ACC Football: Biggest offseason question for every team
By John Buhler
Clemson Tigers: Will the Tigers have any shot at repeating as National Champions?
2016 was the best season in Clemson Tigers football history. The Tigers went 14-1 (7-1) and won the national title over the juggernaut Alabama Crimson Tide on the final play from scrimmage. That being said, expecting Clemson to repeat as National Champions is a farfetched notion at that.
Clemson loses a ton of weapons on offense, including quarterback Deshaun Watson and wide receiver Mike Williams. Both are tabbed to be first-round selections in the upcoming 2017 NFL Draft. Defensively, Clemson will have to replace key guys like defensive lineman Carlos Watkins, inside linebacker Ben Boulware and cornerback Cordrea Tankersley. All three will be drafted this spring.
Clemson doesn’t recruit like a perennial blue-blood, but should still have some pieces already on the roster to help the Tigers reload. Landing the best quarterback of this recruiting cycle in Hunter Johnson from Indiana only helps. However, does Clemson have a favorable enough schedule to even get back to the ACC Championship with a shot at getting back into College Football Playoff?
Well, the Tigers will have to start the year off sprinting, as three of their first five games will be tough: Auburn (September 9), at Louisville (September 16) and at Virginia Tech (September 30). While Clemson gets divisional rival Florida State at home on November 11, on the road against in-state rival South Carolina at season’s end on November 25 won’t be easy.
If Clemson drops a game in that 12-game slate, maybe the Tigers can win the ACC Atlantic and play for a chance at the College Football Playoff? However, it’s hard to not see two 2017 regular season losses on the horizon for the Tigers.