Analyst Shares Bold Comparision for Clemson Tigers Ahead of Georgia Matchup

A college football analyst has boldly compared the Clemson Tigers opener in 2024 to one of their games played in 2023.

Sep 4, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney talks with Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Elko while fans storm the field after the game at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

The Clemson Tigers are going to be challenged on the gridiron throughout the 2024 season. Their schedule is a daunting one, projected to be one of the toughest in the nation.

Arguably their toughest game will be in their season opener. The Tigers are heading to Atlanta to take on the Georgia Bulldogs in a clash of titans.

The odds of Clemson pulling off the upset are not very high. A lot of sportsbooks have installed them as two-touchdown underdogs, expecting Georgia to handle business with relative ease.

Of course, those odds aren’t always correct. Upsets happen all the time in college football and the Tigers will be looking to get their season off on the right foot with a huge victory.

Large spreads are nothing new to Clemson, as they have been involved in plenty of games that looked lopsided in recent years. However, they are normally on the other end of the line as the favorites, not the underdogs.

That was the situation the team faced last year in their season opener. The Tigers were on the road facing off against Duke as double-digit point favorites. They had a disastrous performance, losing 28-7.

That outcome is something that ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy believes people need to keep in mind heading into this year’s season opener. He boldly compared the 2023 opener against the Blue Devils to their matchup in a few weeks against the Bulldogs.

“Is it completely out of the realm of possibility? Georgia is currently a 14-point favorite (at some outlets),” he said. “Need I remind you that Clemson last year when it went on the road to Duke, was an 11.5-point favorite. And the home-field being at Duke last year was worth, what, about three points? At a neutral site, Georgia being about 14 and Clemson on the road at 11 is really not that wide of a gap when you take that into account.”

From a gambler’s perspective, McElroy is certainly on the right track. When accounting for homefield advantage, a 14-point neutral site spread can be similar to an 11-point spread in a true road game.

Alas, that is certainly a comparison many people aren’t going to see eye-to-eye about. Going on the road against Duke, who has won double-digit games once in their program’s history, pales in comparison to a neutral site game against Georgia.

But, the part of McElroy’s comments that stand out the most is the form that Clemson is entering the season with. They were not good at the start of the 2023 season, but didn’t let that negatively impact how they finished the campaign.

“...I think a lot of people look at Clemson and they failed to win ten games for the first time since 2010, and while that for many would be looked as a significant disappointment, I actually look at where they were after a 4-4 start, really at a crossroads and finishing with that five-game win streak, I think they have a lot of momentum coming into this season. And they’re going to look a lot like they looked last year.”

The core of McElroy’s comments is that anything can happen once the game starts. And given how good the Tigers looked down the stretch, he is expecting that to be carried over into their start in 2024.