The Clemson Tigers have been one of the better teams in college football over the past few seasons. Now, though, they’re going to have to go forward without a couple of the players who enabled them to have so much success in the Atlantic Coast Conference and on a broader national level as well. Clemson has enjoyed some prosperity against Southeastern Conference teams such as LSU (in a bowl game) and Georgia (in last season’s first game). The Tigers have made multiple Bowl Championship Series games over the past three seasons, and they beat Ohio State in last season’s Orange Bowl. Yet, quarterback Tajh Boyd and receiver Sammy Watkins were part of those teams, and now they’re in the NFL. Can Clemson fill in for those guys? That’s the big question everyone’s asking.
Strengths
The Tigers have been a strong offensive team the past several seasons, but with Boyd and Watkins now out of the picture, the Tigers’ best player is probably on defense. Vic Beasley, their star defensive end, is likely their best NFL draft prospect for 2015. Beasley is extremely fast, and he’s going to make Clemson’s defense really tough to deal with. The Tigers will be solid in terms of their front four and will be stout throughout the season. It’s going to be a real change for Clemson to look to its defense first, but that appears to be how the team has to view the coming season. The Tigers do have some speed at the skill positions on offense, but it’s a total mystery as to how the quarterback situation is going to come into focus. Boyd did so much to carry the offense in recent years and get the ball to all the speed merchants on the outside. That piece of the puzzle might not emerge this season, but at least, the Tigers have the players on the receiving end of the pitch-and-catch combo who can do something with the ball. All that said, the number one strength of the team is its defense, especially up front.
Weaknesses
The quarterback spot, as referred to above, is the big worry for the Tigers. Boyd was the kind of player who could make some very surprising mistakes. He would occasionally panic, but his greatness was rooted in an ability to shrug off a horrible play and come back the next play or the next series and do something special. New quarterback Cole Stoudt really didn’t get any meaningful playing time behind Boyd. He threw 59 passes, which is about two games’ worth for Clemson, and he did that in mop-up duty and other non-essential situations. Everyone is waiting to see what he’s going to do against quality teams under real in-game pressure. It’s easy to be pessimistic about how Stoudt will handle the heat.
Schedule
The Tigers are going to have a tough September, with road trips to Georgia and Florida State. If they can beat Georgia, they’ll be thrilled. Florida State is likely to hammer the Tigers. The rest of the ACC isn’t at Clemson’s level. The toughest game in the middle of the schedule is probably a home game against Louisville in October. Other than that, the season finale against nemesis South Carolina is the other tough game on the slate.
Outlook
The Tigers have three very likely losses on their schedule, but where will the fourth one come? Louisville could be it, but the Cardinals have their own issues under a new coaching staff in a new conference. Clemson will probably get to nine wins in the regular season.
Pick: Over 8.5 at +105
