Who Should the Clemson Tigers Root For During the 2026 National Championship?

At the dawn of the College Football Playoff National Championship, while Indiana and Miami balanced their nerves with excitement, the rest of the college football landscape awaited the big game with implications of their own. Every other program will have a team it wants to win, and the Clemson Tigers will be doing the same.

In the final game of the 2026 season, Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza leads the Indiana Hoosiers into battle against Carson Beck’s Miami, who have the added benefit of playing in their home stadium.

Clemson needs to be behind Beck.

Miami is the first ACC team to appear in the CFB Playoff National Championship since the Clemson Tigers lost to LSU in 2019. The Tigers’ appearance in the 2019 national championship was their fourth in five years.

A year earlier, in 2018, the transfer portal was added to college football. For Clemson, everything changed.

Fast forward to the present, and two transfer quarterbacks are set to square off on the grandest stage.

Indiana’s matchup with Miami marks the third consecutive year which no SEC team has appeared in the CFB Playoff National Championship. The previous seven featured at least one SEC team, with two featuring SEC vs SEC opponents.

Miami’s season represents a resurgence in the ACC that plays nicely for the Tigers. Clemson fell out of national relevance this season, but their in-conference friends from South Beach did enough to keep the ACC top-of-mind.

Conference chaos is a good thing. Miami established itself as one of the best programs in the country this year. Out of nowhere, Duke squeezed their way into the ACC Championship and upset a Virginia team that surprised everyone this season.

And here's the kicker: Clemson will have the chance to prove they never left.

With eight ACC opponents, Clemson’s 2026 schedule features Miami at home and away at Duke. These ACC matchups hold more weight, especially Miami. And should the Hurricanes defeat the Goliath that is the 15-0 Hoosiers, Clemson will be hosting the country’s very best.

If head coach Dabo Swinney can play his cards right, the disappointing 7-7 2025 campaign will be a distant memory in the minds of Clemson faithful.

College football has always been about winning the games that matter. Add in a season opener away at LSU with a revitalized ACC, and suddenly, Clemson has more games that matter than ever.

That’s exciting stuff, especially for a program that has finally transitioned to a more modern portal stance.

“The Tigers’ sudden surge in the transfer portal isn’t just roster maintenance. It’s an acknowledgment that college football has changed, and standing still is no longer an option,” Zach Lentz wrote.

Call 2025 an experiment. Call it “a few plays away.” Call it disappointing. But it’s time to stop looking in the rearview mirror and time to start looking through the front windshield.

The ACC is trending in the right direction; Miami made sure of that.

Meanwhile, Clemson is finally “playing the game.” Tradition is wonderful, but if that were the case, Indiana would be trekking to Hard Rock Stadium in a horse and carriage. Finally, Clemson is moving with the change.

So as it stands, Clemson and its loyal fans have just one thing to say: go Canes.