3 reasons Clemson won’t win the national championship this year

The Clemson Tigers will be really good again in 2021, but they’ll have to wait another year to win a national championship for these three reasons.

The Clemson Tigers have gone to six straight College Football Playoffs with two championships along the way.

Don’t expect that streak to end in 2021. The Tigers will once again field a team capable of challenging for the national title.

However, don’t go buying tickets to the title game just yet, Clemson fans. There are three good reasons the Tigers won’t reach the top of the hill this year.

The quarterback questions

The departure of Trevor Lawrence is the end of an era for Clemson. Unfortunately for his replacement, the pursuit of a national title isn’t going to be any easier.

D.J. Uiagalelei is an exceptional quarterbacking prospect who should keep the Tigers relevant. However, he’s going to need a lot of support to win it all for the Tigers in his first season as a full-time starter. Much of the support Lawrence had is now gone.

Travis Etienne, the ACC’s all-time leading rusher, is off to the NFL. That’s a problem, because Clemson had a hard time establishing a running game even with him in the lineup in 2020. His career yards per carry average was 7.2. In his final season, he averaged 5.4. When the Tigers won the 2018 title, he dominated with 1,658 yards. Those yards weren’t there last year.

Clemson may do fine with Lyn-J Dixon, Kobe Pace, Phil Mafah and Will Shipley battling for carries,  but there is no Etienne-level back in that group, at least not yet. That means the pressure will be on Uiagalelei without a nice comfy safety blanket to turn to when the heat turns up.

Putting more on Uiagalelei’s shoulders could put him at more risk of injury. Unlike last year, the Tigers have zero wiggle room when it comes to a quarterback absence. It’s D.J. or bust. That’s a tightrope to walk when you’re competing for the championship.