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

The personnel losses

The good news for Clemson is many of their direct rivals for the national championship are also dealing with major departures and look likely to start rookie quarterbacks. That may be a comfort, but it won’t make it any easier to fill all the gaps.

Along with Lawrence and Etienne, the Tigers have said goodbye to leading wide receivers Amari Rodgers and Cornell Powell while watching tackle Jackson Carman go high in the draft as well.

According to ESPN, Clemson ranks 118th nationally in returning offensive production.

Top-tier recruiting efforts will soften the blow of those losses somewhat. However, there remains a ton of uncertainty about the skill position talent on offense for this season. Justyn Ross is coming back from injury, but there’s no telling if he’ll be the same player he was.

The Clemson offense wasn’t strong enough to win it all last year and they’re only expected to take a step back this year.

The defense is in a great position to carry the team with most of last year’s exceptional unit returning. They will have to make do without cornerback Derion Kendrick, whose coverage they’ll certainly miss, along with additional starter transfers like linebacker Mike Jones and defensive lineman Nyles Pinckney.

Can the defense be elite enough to negate some questions on offense? Certainly. However, one or two slip-ups is all it will take to tank a championship run. Remember, Ohio State tossed them around in the playoff semifinal.