Renowned College Football Analyst Blasts Clemson Tigers

Clemson still has some questions to answer despite their two impressive wins.

Jan 1, 2024; Pasadena, CA, USA; Desmond Howard on the ESPN College Gameday set at the 2024 Rose Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Rose Bowl. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Until Clemson beats an elite team, some will rightfully have questions about them. After losing 34-3 to Georgia in Week 1, Clemson still has to show they can compete with those teams.

They've done as much as possible in their two games after that loss, outscoring their opponents 125-55.

It's been as impressive as possible and a very promising sign. Clemson still has an opportunity to win the ACC.

If they do so, they'll earn an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff, a place where they need to get back to.

While it looks like they could do just that, ESPN analyst Desmond Howard isn't jumping on the "bandwagon" just yet, questioning if they're ready to play good teams.

“I’m not about to jump on the bandwagon, talking about ‘that’s right! Clemson’s back now, they’re ready to take on these top teams!’ Not so fast,” Howard said, according to Gavin Oliver of The Clemson Insider.

Howard then went on to talk about Clemson's loss to Georgia, highlighting that they haven't played an elite team since.

“When you talk about this team coming together and playing like a championship team, like, they had that opportunity against Georgia,” Howard said. “They’re playing better now because the competition is not as high as it was in Week 1 against Georgia. That’s what’s going on. Now, I don’t think they’re as bad as they looked against Georgia. But I definitely don’t think they’re as great as they’re looking against App State and North Carolina State. They’re somewhere in the middle.”

Howard's comments are a bit much, as it's fair to question if any team in the country could truly play with Georgia. When they're clicking on all cylinders, there might not be a better team in the nation.

If he wants to see the Tigers beat a good team, or one comparable to Georgia, he might be waiting for a long time.

The ACC always brings challenges, and Clemson can't view it as anything other than that, but the reality is that no team in the conference is held to the same standard as the Bulldogs.

Factor that in with the fact that Clemson doesn't play Miami in the regular season, and there's not much of an opportunity to show anything against an "elite" team.

If they don't win the ACC Championship Game, that could be the reason they don't make the CFP.

Their resume would be average, so winning the conference title game becomes much more important.