With Kelly Bryant still reeling from a concussion suffered in the team’s loss to Syracuse two weeks ago, it was a good thing the Clemson Tigers had their bye week in Week 8. Clemson looked terrible once Bryant was lost against the Orange, and to be honest, they did not look great with him under center before the hit. Still, they are a legitimate title contender with Bryant at quarterback, and it is likely he will back when the team takes on Georgia Tech this upcoming weekend.
Clemson currently finds themselves at 6-1 on the season, and are staring down a matchup with NC State in two weeks. The Tigers can likely get past the Yellow Jackets without Bryant under center, but they are definitely going to need him against the Wolfpack. Head coach Dabo Swinney has confidence no matter who lines up at quarterback, but this team is a different animal with their star freshman directing the offense.
If the Tigers can get the win against NC State, they will cruise to the ACC title game. Florida State is still left on their regular season schedule, but they have proven to be very beatable without Deondre Francois at quarterback. Swinney is going to have this team ready to go by the time the regular season comes to an end, and with the best defensive line in the country, Clemson should be able to beat anybody that stands in their way.