CHARLOTTE—To admit that Clemson has taken a small step backwards in the last two seasons is to acknowledge the absurdity of what Dabo Swinney has built. The Tigers have lost six games in the last two seasons, which is as many as they lost from 2016 to ‘20. They’ve lost two conference games, which is as many as they lost from ‘15 to ‘20.
Is the program’s demise exaggerated? Sure. But it is impossible to ignore that despite the fact they’re the defending conference champions, they aren’t the locked favorite to repeat thanks to the resurgence of Florida State, a team they have not lost to since 2014 (the two did not meet in ‘20).
The common denominator in the last two years is the offense no longer being as reliable as it was en route to Clemson’s six-straight CFP berths. That’s in large part due to the Tigers simply running out of top-five draft picks at QB after Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence moved on to the NFL. D.J. Uiagalelei was unable to live up to this promise, and has transferred to Oregon State. In his place is Cade Klubnik, who ended the season as the team’s starter and he’ll pair with new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.
