College football analyst says Clemson’s time in the CFP is done

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The national conversation around Clemsonfootball feels very different than it did a year ago.

Heading into last season, the program was riding the momentum of a Playoff appearance and an ACC championship. Expectations were sky high, with some national outlets even placing Clemson at No. 1 in their preseason rankings. Now, after finishing 7-6, the tone surrounding Dabo Swinney’s program has shifted sharply.

CBS Sports analyst Tom Fornelli believes the Tigers’ days as a national power may already be over.

“Clemson is dead. It’s dead. It’s not coming back,” Fornelli said. “As the offseason goes on, you will start saying, ‘Maybe ole Clemson, maybe this is the year they…’ No, it’s dead…All these Clemson players have been going early in the draft and the team has not been living up to the talent level on the field in recent years. I was looking at the big board for the 2027 season…There are only two Clemson players in the Top 100. Talent is gone. They don’t have the same kind of players that they have had all these years. Miami is resurgent. You’re seeing in the portal – Virginia Tech is now going to basically be another version of what Penn State was, which might not have been good enough to win the Big Ten, but guess what, Penn State was good enough to win the ACC. You bring that to Blacksburg and Virginia Tech and that’s a team that’s very good…

“I think Clemson’s time as a premier program in college football is officially done. Their last big game was their Playoff loss to Texas, and it’s going to be a long time before we see another one. Unless we go to 24 (teams). Once we go to 24, maybe Clemson starts to get back to that at-large consideration, but I bet you it’s a different coach in charge by then.”

Fellow CBS analyst Chip Patterson didn’t go quite that far, but he also sees a changing landscape in the ACC that could make Clemson’s path forward more difficult.

“I see a noticeable gap, certainly with the Miami Hurricanes, but even with some of that B+/A- level consistency you’re getting from SMU and Louisville,” Patterson said. “I do not think there is an easy path for Clemson to get back to anything close to the control it had over the ACC, and I think that, unfortunately for Clemson fans who so desire that, I’m not sure their coach is going to pursue an easy path. I think he told us his most honest thoughts, (when he said) ‘Maybe we go 6-6 this year.’ And sure enough, they end up in the Pinstripe Bowl.

“I think when he was celebrating a winning streak to close out a disappointing season to win the Gator Bowl, and he’s talking about how we need to still cherish stuff like this – we’re not going to win everything forever. I think he really believes that.”

Patterson also believes Swinney isn’t likely to overhaul his approach in response to outside criticism.

“I don’t think he’s going to take any shortcuts. I don’t think he’s going to do anything crazy to change his ways,” Patterson said. “I think he’s going to continue along the same path as long as he’s at Clemson. Now, is Clemson happy with that? That’s a tough existential question for Clemson to be able to answer. But to your point about future mock drafts, they’re going to have to do something that Clemson was not doing when it won six-straight ACC championships, and went to six-straight College Football Playoffs, played in the national championship game four times, and won two of them.

“They’re going to have to win with less talent. Because the roster that they have is not at the top of the ACC in terms of talent, and that’s going to be a little bit different…Right now, the talent gap is not there.”

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: College football analyst on Clemson no longer being a CFP contender

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