Absurd Preseason Projection Shows Clemson Football Missing Playoffs

The national media isn't showing Clemson any love in College Football Playoff projections.

Oct 15, 2022; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney reacts during the second half against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. / Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers have suffered through a couple of disappointing seasons recently. The days of competing yearly for a national championship are seemingly in the rearview.

Heading into the 2024 college football season, the Tigers are hoping to get back to that level of play. They are building a talented recruiting class and young players have had the opportunity to develop throughout the offseason.

While there are still some major questions surrounding Clemson football, especially about just how good quarterback Cade Klubnik can actually be, there is a lot of optimism within the team about the upcoming campaign.

Keeping that in mind, On3 has released their new College Football Playoff projections.

Surprisingly, the Tigers did not make the cut and were left on the list.

NEW: Preseason College Football Playoff Projected 12-Team Field via @Andy_Staples🏆

Do you agree? ⬇️https://t.co/e69ZNkOYaG pic.twitter.com/GBsFTrY4KH

— On3 (@On3sports) June 11, 2024

Looking at the field, Clemson should feel completely disrespected.

That's not meant to take anything away from the teams who did make the list, but the Tigers should be better than a couple of those teams, at least with the talent that they have on paper.

Specifically, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Boise State are teams Clemson should take exception about being projected above them.

Clemson will have a tough season ahead of them from a schedule perspective, though, as right off the bat, they will take on the Georgia Bulldogs to begin the year. After that, they'll face another tough test against Florida State during the middle part of their schedule.

Outside of those two games, the Tigers should feel good about their chances to win, and win big.

If they play to their full potential, there should be nothing holding them back from making the playoff field.

The underdog role is something Clemson should embrace with open arms. Being able to fly under the radar is never a bad thing.

Hopefully, this will be the year the Tigers get back to contention on the national scale. With Swinney leading the way, anything is possible.

It's time to prove all these projections wrong.