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There isn’t much room for another disappointing season at Clemson.
After watching last year’s lofty expectations disappear during a 7-6 campaign, Dabo Swinney and the Tigers enter 2026 looking for a much different result. That puts Clemson in an uncomfortable spot nationally, with College Football News’ Pete Fiutak ranking the Tigers No. 2 among programs under the most pressure this season.
Only Nebraska landed ahead of Clemson on Fiutak’s list, while ACC rival Florida State came in at No. 4.
It’s easy to understand why Clemson is so high.
Last year’s team appeared built for a major run. The Tigers had experience all over the roster, returned more production than anyone in the country and began the season ranked among the nation’s top four teams.
None of it translated.
Clemson lost six games, ended the year with a Pinstripe Bowl loss to Penn State and disappeared from the final rankings. It was the program’s first unranked finish since 2010 and easily one of the biggest letdowns in college football considering where expectations stood in August.
Now the question isn’t whether Clemson can live up to preseason national championship hype. It’s whether Swinney can quickly get the program moving forward again.
Fiutak believes there will be some improvement, predicting an 8-4 finish that would surpass Clemson’s Vegas win total of 7.5.
“Can the Tigers get back to their old selves? Not quite, but the defense will be great as the season goes on, and there’s a desperation across the board to put together a strong season,” Fiutak said.
That desperation could define Clemson’s season.
The Tigers spent years making double-digit victories, ACC championships and national relevance feel routine. Those accomplishments also created a standard that makes 7-6 impossible to brush aside as just another down year.
Clemson doesn’t necessarily have to become a national title contender overnight. But after last season went about as poorly as anyone around the program could have imagined, another mediocre finish would bring much bigger questions about just how close Swinney is to getting the Tigers back where they expect to be.
Contact us at @Clemson_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: How much pressure is Clemson football under entering the 2026 season?
Continue reading...
After watching last year’s lofty expectations disappear during a 7-6 campaign, Dabo Swinney and the Tigers enter 2026 looking for a much different result. That puts Clemson in an uncomfortable spot nationally, with College Football News’ Pete Fiutak ranking the Tigers No. 2 among programs under the most pressure this season.
Only Nebraska landed ahead of Clemson on Fiutak’s list, while ACC rival Florida State came in at No. 4.
It’s easy to understand why Clemson is so high.
Last year’s team appeared built for a major run. The Tigers had experience all over the roster, returned more production than anyone in the country and began the season ranked among the nation’s top four teams.
None of it translated.
Clemson lost six games, ended the year with a Pinstripe Bowl loss to Penn State and disappeared from the final rankings. It was the program’s first unranked finish since 2010 and easily one of the biggest letdowns in college football considering where expectations stood in August.
Now the question isn’t whether Clemson can live up to preseason national championship hype. It’s whether Swinney can quickly get the program moving forward again.
Fiutak believes there will be some improvement, predicting an 8-4 finish that would surpass Clemson’s Vegas win total of 7.5.
“Can the Tigers get back to their old selves? Not quite, but the defense will be great as the season goes on, and there’s a desperation across the board to put together a strong season,” Fiutak said.
That desperation could define Clemson’s season.
The Tigers spent years making double-digit victories, ACC championships and national relevance feel routine. Those accomplishments also created a standard that makes 7-6 impossible to brush aside as just another down year.
Clemson doesn’t necessarily have to become a national title contender overnight. But after last season went about as poorly as anyone around the program could have imagined, another mediocre finish would bring much bigger questions about just how close Swinney is to getting the Tigers back where they expect to be.
Contact us at @Clemson_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: How much pressure is Clemson football under entering the 2026 season?
Continue reading...
