The Clemson Tigers scored 40 points against a Nick Saban defense. The Tigers’ offense played just about as well as it realistically could in a big game with the whole nation watching. Deshaun Watson was as brilliant as he possibly could have been as a quarterback. The No. 1 team in the nation displayed a level of potency that one generally associates with national champions.
Yet, on a night when the Clemson Tigers and Watson scored 40 points, Alabama scored 45. The Crimson Tide found a way to do what they needed to do to win. Clemson had to settle for a runner-up finish. The first unbeaten regular season in Clemson history since 1981 ended one win short of the school’s second national title. Now, Clemson will try to make the journey all the way back to the big game.
Biggest Team Weakness
The weakness for the Clemson Tigers is something which might not turn out to be a weakness at all, but it’s still the part of the roster which offers the greatest cause for concern.
Last year, Clemson’s defense lost a majority of its starters from the previous season (2014), but defensive coordinator Brent Venables was able to take his young players and mold them into a very effective unit. Venables has been one of college football’s most successful coordinators over the past 10 years. He actually had coached at Oklahoma in the previous decade. Last season, he met Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff semifinals in the Orange Bowl, and while Oklahoma’s offense started well, Clemson shut out the Sooners in the second half and pulled away for a lopsided victory. Clemson could make things work this year with yet another defense that will lose a majority of its starters, including its best player, Shaq Lawson. However, it is hard to continuously lose a majority of starters and play at a top level. There should be a few games this season in which Clemson’s defense just doesn’t play well. Those games could hijack the season and ruin a push for the national championship.
Biggest Team Strength
A lot like Oklahoma, if the defense has some big question marks, the offense does not. Watson is the best quarterback in college football. He can make every throw from every arm angle. He can run for big yardage. He can do everything a quarterback needs to do, and he doesn’t make a lot of big mistakes. He is calm under pressure and leads his offense flawlessly in tight fourth-quarter situations. Clemson has the best security blanket in the country, the best assurance that late in a close game, it has the best player on the field. Clemson will probably play another 45-40 game this season, and knowing Watson, the Tigers will have the 45 instead of the 40. They won’t have to play Alabama during the regular season.
Schedule
The Clemson Tigers have a bit of a mixed schedule that will test them at times, but nothing that should really break their backs. They do have a challenging opener with a visit to Auburn but being totally frank, Auburn is not the team it was from a few years ago. They are rebuilding and Clemson is prime time. This is a game the Tigers will not only be favored but will likely win. After that, it’s cupcakes (versus Troy, versus South Carolina State and at Georgia Tech) until they get a visit from No. 19 Louisville. Could they lose that game? It’s possible, but Louisville will be on the road and they’re not on Clemson’s level just yet. Other than that, they go to Boston College, Florida State and Wake Forest, and host North Carolina State, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and South Carolina. This is a pretty easy schedule for one of the best teams in the nation.
The key to the schedule is that the Clemson Tigers play rival Florida State on the road. That will make this season a lot more difficult. If Clemson can get past that one game, though, the Tigers will go unbeaten.
Outlook
Beating Florida State last season at home was hard. Winning at Florida State this year will be harder. Clemson will lose that game and finish 11-1, second in its division.
Projection: 2nd In ACC Atlantic
