Clemson fans finally buy back into Dabo Swinney’s plan in latest CFP prediction

The perception around Clemson football has shifted dramatically in just a year.

Heading into last season, head coach Dabo Swinney faced growing criticism for seemingly falling behind the times. Many believed his resistance to the transfer portal and NIL era was dragging the Tigers down. After making the College Football Playoff four times in five years, Clemson had missed the cut the last four seasons — until last year.

MORE: ESPN knocks Dabo Swinney down in coach rankings despite high hopes for Clemson in 2025

Last season marked a major turning point. Clemson captured the ACC title and returned to the CFP, earning a first-round matchup against Texas in the newly expanded 12-team format.

The Tigers fell in that opening game, but the loss reset expectations for 2025 — and some are now sky-high.

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According to On3’s Ari Wasserman, Clemson is poised to make a deeper playoff run this fall. In his 12-team projection, the Tigers are projected to skip the first round and face LSU in the Orange Bowl — a rematch from their Week 1 showdown in Death Valley. Wasserman has Clemson avenging that early loss.

He then projects Clemson to knock off Penn State in a semifinal Peach Bowl matchup, setting up a national title appearance — their first in six years — against Texas. CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson shares a similar outlook.

“The 2025 edition of Clemson checks all the boxes for what we have come to believe as a title-winning blueprint for the Tigers,” Patterson wrote. “They have one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Cade Klubnik, a defensive line highlighted by surefire NFL talent and a versatile collection of skill talent that includes vets and young, emerging stars.”

In Wasserman’s prediction, however, Clemson falls short in the title game as Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns secure the championship.

“Manning becomes the next star of the sport and Texas asserts itself as one of the premier programs in college football,” Wasserman wrote. “Clemson, though disappointed, has a regained confidence in Swinney and his plan.”

For a coach who many believed had lost his edge, Swinney’s stock has clearly rebounded. Now, all that’s left is for the Tigers to live up to the hype — and finish the job.