Clemson Tigers face hardest schedule because of one transfer

The Clemson Tigers are going to have a difficult season. They might win a ton of games, win the ACC, make the College Football Playoff, and contend for a title, but it will not be easy. That's because, per ESPN's Chris Low, they have the hardest Power 4 non-conference schedules out there. 

They face several currently ranked teams, and others, like North Carolina, could end up being pretty good when they face the Tigers. The main reason they have the hardest non-conference slate and not the Stanford Cardinals or others is because of one seemingly insignificant transfer. 

"This was a coin flip between Clemson and Stanford until quarterback Jake Retzlaff departed BYU," Low said. "Now the trip to No. 10 BYU on Sept. 6 doesn't look quite as daunting for the Cardinal, who end the season Nov. 29 at home against No. 7 Notre Dame."

Therefore, Clemson gets the nod. The Tigers open their season on August 31 at home against No. 6 LSU, then they end the season on November 29 on the road against bitter rival South Carolina, ranked No. 13 right now.

"Clemson also faces Troy, a top contender in the Sun Belt Conference, at home a week after the LSU opener," Low said. "Miami has three tough early-season matchups out of conference, albeit all three at home, against No. 7 Notre Dame on Aug. 31, South Florida on Sept. 13 and No. 19 Florida on Sept. 20."

That is a really daunting slate for Clemson, who has legitimate title aspirations. With the 12-team playoff, teams are often rewarded for taking these big risks and the larger field allows for a loss or two to not be quite so damaging, but it's still going to be grueling year.