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ESPN’s Bill Connelly isn’t ready to write off Clemsonfootball just yet.
After a disappointing 2025 season that resulted in the program’s worst record since 2010, the Tigers enter 2026 with plenty of questions to answer. Despite that, Connelly still views Clemson as one of the ACC’s top contenders heading into the season.
In his annual ACC and Notre Dame preview released Wednesday, Connelly’s SP+ projections place Clemson among the conference’s top teams. Miami leads the way after last season’s run to the national championship game, but the Tigers remain firmly in the mix despite coming off a year that fell well short of expectations.
What’s notable is that Connelly was one of Clemson’s biggest skeptics entering the 2025 season. While many pointed to the Tigers’ struggles as validation of those concerns, he believes the reality was more complicated.
“Making predictions is evidently a closest-to-the-pin contest. I was, for all intents and purposes, the resident Clemson skeptic last year, too concerned about (a) not enough big plays on offense, (b) far too many big plays allowed on defense and (c) the major turnovers luck the Tigers enjoyed in 2024 to consider them genuine national title contenders. When they indeed bombed from preseason No. 4 to 7-6, I got a lot of pats on the back for a great prediction,” Connelly said.
“I was still mostly wrong, though: I still thought the Tigers would be a top-15 team and ACC favorite. Even from a skeptic’s perspective, Clemson was shockingly poor.”
Despite last season’s disappointment, Connelly’s projections still place Clemson near the top of the ACC entering 2026. While national expectations have cooled compared to where they were a few years ago, the Tigers are still projected to be a major factor in the conference race.
Connelly also weighed in on Clemson’s offseason approach, particularly Dabo Swinney’s decision to bring back Chad Morris as offensive coordinator while continuing to lean more into the transfer portal.
“Swinney seems to be simultaneously embracing and resisting progress. On one hand, he finally dipped fully into portal life, adding 10 transfers – still well below the national average but a solid total – but responding to the need for offensive progress by making a regressive hire. Offensive coordinator Chad Morris is back in town; he helped modernize the Tigers’ attack from 2011 through 2014 but hasn’t been at the helm of even a decent offense since 2017.”
Even with those concerns, Connelly still believes Clemson is positioned to bounce back.
“Honestly, a reset probably isn’t the worst thing after the disappointment of 2025. While Clemson is projected just 23rd overall, with an average projected win total of 7.9 – not exactly rampant optimism – the Tigers are also projected second in the league and have a chance at a 5-2 start (or better) with five of their first seven games coming at home,” Connelly said.
For a program coming off a difficult season, that’s a much more optimistic outlook than many expected entering 2026.
Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: ESPN’s 2026 ACC preview reveals Clemson’s outlook for upcoming CFB season
Continue reading...
After a disappointing 2025 season that resulted in the program’s worst record since 2010, the Tigers enter 2026 with plenty of questions to answer. Despite that, Connelly still views Clemson as one of the ACC’s top contenders heading into the season.
In his annual ACC and Notre Dame preview released Wednesday, Connelly’s SP+ projections place Clemson among the conference’s top teams. Miami leads the way after last season’s run to the national championship game, but the Tigers remain firmly in the mix despite coming off a year that fell well short of expectations.
What’s notable is that Connelly was one of Clemson’s biggest skeptics entering the 2025 season. While many pointed to the Tigers’ struggles as validation of those concerns, he believes the reality was more complicated.
“Making predictions is evidently a closest-to-the-pin contest. I was, for all intents and purposes, the resident Clemson skeptic last year, too concerned about (a) not enough big plays on offense, (b) far too many big plays allowed on defense and (c) the major turnovers luck the Tigers enjoyed in 2024 to consider them genuine national title contenders. When they indeed bombed from preseason No. 4 to 7-6, I got a lot of pats on the back for a great prediction,” Connelly said.
“I was still mostly wrong, though: I still thought the Tigers would be a top-15 team and ACC favorite. Even from a skeptic’s perspective, Clemson was shockingly poor.”
Despite last season’s disappointment, Connelly’s projections still place Clemson near the top of the ACC entering 2026. While national expectations have cooled compared to where they were a few years ago, the Tigers are still projected to be a major factor in the conference race.
Connelly also weighed in on Clemson’s offseason approach, particularly Dabo Swinney’s decision to bring back Chad Morris as offensive coordinator while continuing to lean more into the transfer portal.
“Swinney seems to be simultaneously embracing and resisting progress. On one hand, he finally dipped fully into portal life, adding 10 transfers – still well below the national average but a solid total – but responding to the need for offensive progress by making a regressive hire. Offensive coordinator Chad Morris is back in town; he helped modernize the Tigers’ attack from 2011 through 2014 but hasn’t been at the helm of even a decent offense since 2017.”
Even with those concerns, Connelly still believes Clemson is positioned to bounce back.
“Honestly, a reset probably isn’t the worst thing after the disappointment of 2025. While Clemson is projected just 23rd overall, with an average projected win total of 7.9 – not exactly rampant optimism – the Tigers are also projected second in the league and have a chance at a 5-2 start (or better) with five of their first seven games coming at home,” Connelly said.
For a program coming off a difficult season, that’s a much more optimistic outlook than many expected entering 2026.
Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: ESPN’s 2026 ACC preview reveals Clemson’s outlook for upcoming CFB season
Continue reading...
