National analyst on Clemson making surprise run to College Football Playoff

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Clemson football will begin the season outside the AP Top 25, but there is still plenty of belief that the Tigers could eventually work their way into the College Football Playoff conversation.

"Saturday Blitz" recently highlighted Clemson as one of the unranked teams with legitimate postseason potential. The Tigers were also the leading vote-getter among teams left outside the preseason AP Top 25, receiving 112 points. That was more than twice as many as Florida, which was the next closest unranked team with 51.

The Tigers are ranked No. 23 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll.

Clemson is trying to bounce back after a 7-6 campaign, its worst season in 15 years. The Tigers also lost several major contributors to the NFL Draft, including their starting quarterback, leaving Dabo Swinney and his staff with some important holes to fill.

Still, "Saturday Blitz" analyst Nicholas Rome pointed to the amount of talent Clemson has returning.

“Clemson still hasn’t named a starting quarterback, but whoever wins the job will have an elite duo to pass to with T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco back for another season. The defense returns stars in Will Heldt, Ashton Hampton, and Sammy Brown, while Dabo Swinney used the transfer portal more often than normal to help revamp the unit.”

That returning core gives Clemson a chance to rebound quickly, but the Tigers will not have much time to settle in.

Clemson opens the season on the road against No. 11 LSU, immediately giving Swinney’s team an opportunity to change the conversation surrounding the program. A win in Baton Rouge could quickly push the Tigers back into the AP Top 25 and establish them as a team worth watching in the playoff race.

After a disappointing 2025 season, Clemson will have the chance to prove almost immediately that last year’s struggles were only a temporary setback.

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: National analyst on Clemson making surprise run to College Football Playoff

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