Why Clemson's Top 25 Ommitance Is Dabo Swinney's Best Possible Situation

The overreaction of the preseason AP Top 25 Poll left the Clemson Tigers out of it for the first time since the 2011 season.

But it begs the question: Does that put head coach Dabo Swinney’s group exactly where it needs to be?

That last season, where Clemson was unranked, has eerily similar similarities. By the end of the 2011 season, the Tigers were ACC champions and the No. 14 team going into bowl season before losing to West Virginia.

Swinney’s offense will have similar features. One has the same person entering the role in his first season: Chad Morris. Clemson’s quarterback in 2011 was Tajh Boyd, the first season that he would be the Tigers’ signal-caller. 15 years later, it’s expected to be redshirt junior Christopher Vizzina, although he’s had a start before.

Clemson’s wide receiver room holds similarities as well. The Tigers’ two standouts were DeAndre Hopkins, a junior, and Sammy Watkins, a true freshman. Fortunately, this time around, the program has two standout juniors, Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore, and a trio of freshmen who could break out at wideout.

Now, resemblances don’t necessarily mean history will repeat itself, but having similar foundations is an optimistic approach after the Tigers had a 7-6 record in 2025 after beginning the year as the No. 4 team in the entire country. Especially in a world where criticism and thoughts can be portrayed on any social media, a downturn could turn into a snowball effect of losses.

That was the case for Clemson, unfortunately, after losing to LSU at home through a failed game-winning drive and a game-winning field goal by Georgia Tech. Following that week, the morale was low enough for the Tigers to go 1-3 to begin the year and be nearly out of anything.

2026 brings back Swinney as an underdog, which could perhaps be the most dangerous type of Clemson team. The Tigers ranked as high as No. 6 during that 2011 season, but it wasn’t before they began the year 8-0.

It’s a lot more difficult to do that with the likes of No. 11 LSU and No. 7 Miami on the schedule, but even winning one of those games, with the matchup against the Hurricanes at home, would be able to spring Clemson back into the top 25.

Again, it’s easier said than done, and a lot could go south to lead to another uphill season for the Tigers, but the preseason noise is off of Clemson, especially going into Baton Rouge this time to face LSU. Swinney, perhaps, doesn’t have anything to lose going into Week 1, while opposing head coach Lane Kiffin can’t lose his opening game as head coach.

We’ve seen time and time again why the preseason AP rankings don’t matter. Just look at Florida State and Alabama last year. Once the pressure is off, it makes some of these teams look a lot better.

2011 and 2026 are completely different times in college football, but the recipe is the same at Clemson. A coach who plays best as an underdog, the same offensive coordinator in his first season, a quarterback entering his first season and a defense looking to prove it’s better than others think.

Once that ball is spotted on Sept. 5, let’s see if history ends up repeating itself.

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