Josh Pate Questions College Football Powerhouse's Ability to Bounce Back in 2026

While college football's preseason is generally a time of optimism and belief, for media members, it can also be the season of doubt. College football analyst Josh Pate recently called out six teams as "on the clock" for the 2026 season. One powerhouse he took a decidedly concerned view on was the Clemson Tigers.

Pate's Clemson Concerns

"They played in Austin [Texas] in a Playoff game two years ago, which meant this time last year, it was time for Clemson to take the dreaded next step," noted Pate. "And they did, it was just a step backwards. Couple of steps backwards actually."

Clemson isn't ranked heading into the season for the first time since 2011. While Dabo Swinney was a young coach on his way up at that time, there's more than a whisper that Swinney and the Tigers may be on a slide. Swinney was notoriously fickle about adapting to the NIL/transfer portal atmosphere around college football and his teams have shown telling signs of that non-adjustment.

From Dominant to Dishwater for Clemson?

Between 2011 and 2022, Clemson won double-digit games each season, and even reached the then-four team College Football Playoff for six seasons in a row from 2014 to 2020, winning a pair of national titles. But in two of the last three seasons, the Tigers failed to reach 10 wins. They lost a first-round CFP game in 2024 and didn't even sniff the Playoff in the other two seasons, including last season's dreary 7-6 record, their worst year since 2010.

"Last year was bad," said Pate. "Everyone inside Clemson expects them to bounce back. I don't know that that's a given.... I'm just trying not to get sucked into it."

Disrespect off of 2025 season

Disrespect for Clemson seems to have infiltrated the preseason polls, which not only the AP top 25 leaving off the Tigers, but the ACC Media Poll picking Clemson to finish 4th in the conference, and only four Tigers-- Bryant Wesco Jr., Will Heldt, Sammy Brown, and Ashton Hampton earning preseason All-ACC picks. That's as opposed to eight Miami players who were selected.

Swinney for his part seems to have somewhat relished a preseason in which most media members are talking about Miami or even ACC up and comers like SMU or Louisville. Perhaps having the mark of the hunted off his program's back will help Clemson climb back from a putrid 2025 season. On the other hand, it may not.

"What if it's not better this year than it was last year?" asked Pate. "It gets really uncomfortable. So I think Clemson, for many reasons, is on the clock."

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