College Football Writer Has Bold Take on Clemson Tigers Among One-Loss Teams

How do the Clemson Tigers stack up against the other one-loss teams in college football?

Aug 31, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney walks onto the field with players before the 2024 Aflac Kickoff Game with the University of Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. / Ken Ruinard - Imagn Images

The 2024 college football season is only three weeks old and the Clemson Tigers have already experienced multiple shifts in their outlook.

There was some quiet optimism surrounding the program entering the year as the No. 14 ranked team. A difficult schedule awaited, but Dabo Swinney looked to have a strong roster to work with.

Any positive vibes coming into the season were erased by the Georgia Bulldogs. The No. 1 team destroyed Clemson, winning 34-3 during the opening week.

Swinney and his team received a ton of criticism after that game leading into their Week 2 matchup against Appalachian State.

How would the Tigers respond against one of the stronger Group of 5 teams in the nation?

About as well as a beaten-down team could have hope for when looking to bounce back.

Another blowout ensued, but this time Clemson was on the right side of the scoreboard. They defeated the Mountaineers 66-20 as quarterback Cade Klubnik put together a historic effort with seven total touchdowns.

That performance provided the Tigers with some much-needed positive momentum heading into a bye week before hosting the NC State Wolfpack at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 21.

It also improved their outlook in the eyes of many people in the college football world.

One person who remains in on Clemson is Stewart Mandel of The Athletic. In his weekly mailbag, he was asked to choose which one-loss team he was most confident in making a run to the College Football Playoff.

The Tigers, LSU, Notre Dame and Michigan were the choices.

Out of that foursome, Mandel selected Clemson.

“The Georgia game still served as a reaffirmation that Clemson can no longer hang with the sport’s elite tier, but it’s entirely plausible the Tigers could turn around and win the ACC — not exactly the world’s most daunting conference. Clemson’s next game is against an NC State team that lost 51-10 to Tennessee. And — here’s a sentence I never thought I’d write — the Tigers don’t have to face surprise teams Boston College, Syracuse or Cal,” he wrote.

While he isn’t counting the Fighting Irish out yet, schedule and opportunity matter.

Notre Dame could be favored in every game the rest of the season, so one more loss and their chances of making the CFP are extinguished.

The Tigers, on the other hand, can suffer a second loss and still find their way to an automatic berth if they can win the ACC Championship.

Luckily for Clemson, they also avoid the Miami Hurricanes in the regular season.