I think it is time for Dabo Swinney to let the college football world know who he is and what he is about again. The iconic head coach of the Clemson Tigers had his team back playing in the 2024-25 College Football Playoff last season as a three-loss ACC champion.
They may have lost The Palmetto Bowl to arch rival South Carolina. They might have been no match for Texas in the first round either. That being said, there are few teams returning as much talent as Clemson is next college football season. The Tigers are the perceived runaway favorites to win the ACC. Not even presumed Power Four favorites like Arizona State, Penn State and Texas can hold a candle to the type of offseason lead Clemson has over the rest of its conference.
So when I saw that ESPN's Bill Connelly had Clemson slotted in at No. 8 in his latest SP+ rankings, I was taken aback. Are we talking about the same team? Yes, I understand that a four-year running average of recent success plays a huge part in the formulaic equation, but give me a break! This is a team built to not only win multiple playoff games, but potentially the whole thing with the right breaks.
I would have no problem whatsoever with Clemson swapping places with No. 2 Alabama in Connelly's latest rankings.
Swinney has a loaded roster and majorly upgraded a key part of his coaching staff this offseason.
Sleeping on Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers is not a great idea
We are talking about a top-three head coach in college football today openly being disrespected. With what Swinney, Georgia's Kirby Smart and Ohio State's Ryan Day have done at their respective schools, everybody else should be looking to them when it comes to being able to win the playoff now. It has been a minute since Clemson last did it, but I have a feeling Swinney is not done winning them.
He has star quarterback Cade Klubnik back for another season playing in Garrett Riley's system. That could go one of two ways for the Tigers, but I am eager to find out. The other huge thing Clemson has going for it is the Tigers were able to poach former Indiana head coach Tom Allen away from James Franklin's clutches over at Penn State. (He did land Jim Knowles as Allen's replacement, but whatever.)
Lastly, it all comes down to coaching prowess and a perceived talent advantage over the rest of the ACC. We know that Jeff Brown, Manny Diaz, Brent Key and Rhett Lashlee can all coach but do Louisville, Duke, Georgia Tech and SMU have the talent of Clemson? Miami may be dripping with talent, but Mario Cristobal is still at the helm of the operation of his alma mater, so good luck with that.
Ultimately, I have Clemson as one of four locks to make the College Football Playoff next year along with Ohio State, Penn State and Texas. Teams like Arizona State, Georgia, Notre Dame and Oregon are in close vicinity in that next group of probables. A lot can change between now and then, but I think the only team that is a bigger lock to make the playoff next year than Clemson would be the Buckeyes.
At no point in the offseason did I think Clemson was any worse than the seventh-best team in FBS.