Clemson Put 'On the Clock' Before 2026 Season

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The Clemson Tigers were left off the Associated Press' preseason poll on Monday.

It appears voters haven't bought what head coach Dabo Swinney tried to sell during the offseason about his record. College football has changed since the Tigers last won a national championship in 2018. 

During an episode of "Josh Pate's College Football Show" last week, Pate named Clemson as one college football program "on the clock" in 2026, needing to show they can bounce back from a 7-6 record in 2025.

“They played in Austin in a playoff game two years ago, which meant this time last year, it was time for Clemson to take the dreaded next step," Pate said. "And they did, it was just a step backwards, couple of steps backwards actually. Now normally, when you have expectations and you fall short in college football, there are two words that sort of circle around the program through the entirety of winter and spring and summer.

"And those two words are bounce back. Because automatically, when you are down one year, it's like a tennis ball, it's like a little ping-pong ball, it just bounces back. Well Clemson is on the clock for obvious reasons, last year was bad, but also because everyone expects them to bounce back."

Pate noted that Clemson has a belief they will be better this season. 

Given the Tigers schedule, there is no reason why the team can't finish 10-2. Their only ranked games are against LSU and Miami.

Pate doesn't think Clemson or Swinney is in a "dire" situation this season. But uncomfortable questions would be asked if the program hovers around 7-6 again.

“Like, last year's roster definitively looks better than this year's roster," Pate said. "And I know, you know, Dabo was on our show and he's been at his own podium and he's been very vocal, doing the whole, we're just a bunch of nobodies. We're going to try and win a few games.

"We'll just see what happens. Yeah, it's not quite that dire, as the JP Poll will show you in a little while. But I'm just saying, what if it's no better this year than it was last year?”

If Clemson goes 7-5 or 8-4 in the regular season, something would need to change. Whether that means giving Swinney an ultimatum to pursue the transfer portal more aggressively or looking for another coach remains to be seen.

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