Luicci's List: No. 2 Clemson
Okay, I admit it: I have Clemson fatigue. Yes, the Tigers probably should be the preseason No. 1. Yes, this five-year run (a 69-5 record, four national championship game appearances, two national titles) is the stuff of dynasties.
And, yes, on paper they look virtually unbeatable this year – with only a Nov. 7 trip to Notre Dame as a potential stumbling block on a schedule where it looks as if Dabo Swinney’s bunch will be favored by at least two touchdowns in every other game.
The ACC schedule is why I’m bored with Clemson. The Tigers need to move to the SEC. We need to see the likes of QB Trevor Lawrence and RB Travis Etienne against the weekly grind of an SEC schedule. Clemson has lost just two games to ACC opponents the past five years while suffering its other three defeats over that time to SEC teams.
Clemson even misses what might be the most-improved team in the ACC this year: North Carolina.
There are plenty of areas of uncertainty, like wide receiver and the offensive line and just enough key defensive players who need to be replaced. But Clemson wins so easily during the regular season that it plays most of its roster in games. So it’s just a matter of guys – guys with game experience, too – stepping in and stepping up.
LSU was a fun story last year because it was something new and a little different (and not Alabama or Georgia). Clemson has become so dominant in the ACC that it’s like watching a college version of the New England Patriots during the prime Tom Brady years. The whole regular season merely serves as a tune-up for the postseason. At least the Notre Dame game will provide a little uncertainty and maybe some suspense and a test. Maybe.