Clemson Tigers Receive Intriguing Ranking in New Prediction

The Clemson Tigers have received an intriguing ranking in a new top-25 prediction.

Sep 16, 2023; Clemson, South Carolina; Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) listens to Head Coach Dabo Swinney during the third quarter with Florida Atlantic at Memorial Stadium. / Gannett-USA TODAY NETWORK

The Clemson Tigers are going to be one of the most intriguing teams to keep an eye on early in the upcoming 2024 college football season.

After a few straight years of coming up short, Clemson is looking to get back to being a legitimate National Championship Contender. With head coach Dabo Swinney leading the way, they have a shot at making that happen.

Of course, the Tigers will need quite a few players to step up in a big way in order to make those goals turn into a reality.

Cade Klubnik will be one of the biggest factors in deciding whether or not Clemson can be a College Football Playoff contender. The Tigers need a much better season from their passing game to take the next step. He is capable of providing that production, but he is a major question mark.

Bleacher Report recently released new projections for the top-25 rankings heading into the 2024 season. They had Clemson ranked as the No. 13 team.

"Last season's disappointment began with a stinker at Duke, and Clemson opens 2024 with Georgia—the potential top-ranked team in the nation. Good luck! The decisive stretch in ACC play might happen early, too. By the first week of October, Clemson hosts NC State and heads to Florida State."

Speaking of their matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs, the Tigers are going to have an opportunity to show what they may be capable of right off the bat.

Swinney recently spoke out about one specific area that Clemson has to improve this season. That area is in the red zone offensively.

“The difference between 2015-’20, when we were great, we were number one in those close games. We were eighty-two percent. We were like 18-4 or something like that. In 2021, 22 and 23, we are twenty-seventh in the country and sixty-five percent. We have not won the close games.”

It will be interesting to see what the 2024 season has in store for the Tigers. They have the talent on paper to take a big leap forward.

Putting that talent all together on the field is much easier said than done. However, with Swinney's genius as a head coach, they stand a fighting chance of competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff field, especially if they can start off their season with a win over Georgia.