RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesThe expectations surrounding Clemson have changed considerably in the span of two seasons.
A program that returned to the College Football Playoff in 2024 is now trying to prove that last year’s 7-6 finish was an outlier rather than the beginning of a larger decline. Josh Pate believes that distinction could make 2026 one of the more important seasons of Dabo Swinney’s tenure.
Pate included Clemson among six major programs he believes are under especially heavy pressure this fall. His concern is not simply that the Tigers struggled last season. It is that Clemson now has to respond with a roster that lost nine players in the 2026 NFL Draft.
“Like last year’s roster definitively looks better than this year’s roster,” Pate said.
That creates a much different challenge than the one Clemson faced entering 2025. Last summer, the Tigers were coming off a playoff appearance and were expected to keep climbing. Instead, Clemson finished only one game above .500.
Now the assumption in some corners is that Swinney’s program will naturally recover.
Pate isn’t buying that.
“So it’s not assumed that you just bounce back,” Pate said. “Because as much as you want to maybe assume that, I’ve got to go on the other side of the coin. And if we flip this coin… if we flip it over, there is an uncomfortable scenario on the other side of the paper that says… what if last year was the last year? What if last year was the last shot?”
A return to national relevance would quickly quiet many of those concerns. Another season that looks like 2025 could have the opposite effect.
Clemson top defensive tackle suspended after disorderly conduct 📸 Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network , USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co https://t.co/cjbGpypAdM pic.twitter.com/MTJdw4hYt5
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) August 23, 2026 “I’m just sayin’, what if it’s no better this year than it was last year? It gets really uncomfortable,” Pate said. “So, I think Clemson, for many reasons, is on the clock.”
South Carolina, Florida State , Texas, Texas Tech and Southern Cal were the other five teams Pate placed in the same high-pressure category.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Is Clemson football running out of time? National analyst believes so
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