Clemson could be headed back to the Playoff in 2022
The Opening:
The 2021 season was one to forget for the Clemson Tigers, as they limped to a 10-3 record. When I say limped, I mean literally. Come their Bowl Game vs Iowa State, Clemson only had 28 healthy scholarship players. That 10-3 record is a great season at most schools but after 6 straight ACC titles and 6 straight College Football Playoff appearances, a game in the Cheez-it Bowl is not what fans at Clemson expect. Not only did the injures pile up but the offense was one of the worst in the country, ranking 100th in total offense. The defense however, was one of the best in the country ranking 8th in total defense, 2nd in scoring defense and 7th nationally against the run.
The Thick of it:
Long time Coordinators Brent Veneables and Bud Elliot have accepted Head Coaching jobs elsewhere, leaving Dabo Swinney searching for replacements. Swinney decided to promote from within his staff in hopes of keeping the Clemson Tigers recent stretch of success rolling. Another big difference from a year ago is the experience on the roster. They return 37 players who have started a game at one point in their career at Clemson.
The biggest headline for the Tigers going into 2022 is quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. After looking good at times in 2020 in relief of the injured Trevor Lawrence, Uiagalelei was nothing short of awful last season. He completed just 55 percent of his passes and had more interceptions then he did touchdown passes. So far all the news out of camp down at Clemson has been positive for Uiagalelei, as he is down 30 pounds from last year and looking good in practice. With a full year under this belt DJ should be much better and he will need to be. 5-star freshmen quarterback Cade Klubnik should push Uiagalelei and if DJ struggles out of the gate, I could see Dabo wasting no time turning to the highly touted freshmen.
The offensive struggles weren’t all on Uiagalelei however. The offensive line was not good, the wide receiver play was very inconsistent and Clemson was forced to turn to their freshmen running back, Will Shipley, to be their workhorse for most of the season. This year they should have more experience and depth across the offensive line returning 4 of 5 starters from a year ago. At wide receiver they will desperately need someone to emerge as the “go-to-guy.” Will Shipley returns at running back leading what should be a deep unit. Clemson has all three of their top rushing leaders from a year ago back and will rely on the running game heavily to make things easier for whoever is under center. Bottom line the offensive success will come down to Uiagalelei’s performance and if he can elevate the playmakers around him, this will be a big bounce back season for the Tiger offense.
Clemson’s 8th ranked defense from a year ago should only improve this year. Yes I know what I just said, IMPROVE from a year ago. I know Venables is gone to Oklahoma but this unit is stacked! Clemson has without a doubt the top defensive line in the country and has studs at all levels of the defense. Myles Murphy, Bryan Bresse, Tyler Davis and Xavier Thomas will all hear their names called within the first two or three rounds of the NFL Draft. KJ Henry returns to help the pass rush and the two deep across the defensive line is elite. At linebacker they are stacked with playmakers led by Trent Simpson who was second on the team in sacks last year (6), and had 12 tackles for loss. Clemson will return their top 3 safeties but will need to find their next playmaker at corner as Andrew Booth left for the NFL Draft. This defense reminds me much of Georgias from a year ago. They have elite NFL talent at key positions and have the depth necessary to be great throughout a grueling season.
This years schedule shapes up pretty nice for the Tigers to get back to the top of the ACC. They get Wake Forest week four this season and Sam Hartman is not expected to be back. They get North Carolina State at home in a massive revenge game, and end the season with Louisville, Miami and South Carolina all at home. Clemson could be looking at an undefeated season if they can come out victorious on their road trip to South Bend and manage back to back road games at Boston College and Florida State. If we are being honest with ourselves Clemson was a 7 win team last year if it wasn’t for their defense but they managed to win 10 games still. This season the defense could be even better and the offense should improve across all major offensive statistical categories.
The Picks:
I hate to say this because I love seeing Clemson lose (I am a Miami guy) but I LOVE this Clemson team this year. The defense is stacked top to bottom and could very well be the best in the country. They have first round NFL talent at all 3 levels of the defense and have by far the most dominant front 4 in the ACC and probably America. I know Uiagalelei struggled badly last season but if he can get back to being the guy we saw in some spot starts in 2020 for Trevor Lawrence, this team is going to the playoffs. The schedule isn’t great but it’s manageable and I think this team is very capable of going 11-1.
I am taking Clemson over 10.5 wins at (+110) on the DraftKings Sportsbook and also taking them to make the College Football Playoff at (+155) on DK. I figure if I’m playing both those numbers, that Clemson to win the ACC is worth playing also. At (-120) I haven’t decided if I’ll be jumping on that number just yet so I’ll hold and monitor the line as the season approaches. I AM NOT STOPPING THERE! Although I think a Alabama- Ohio State National Championship is the most likely outcome this year, Clemson is the one team I like the value on to win the title. I’ll be betting Clemson to win the National Championship at (+1300). If the hype I’m breathing into this Clemson Tigers team turns into fruition then it’s only right for me to jump on D.J Uiagalelei to win the Heisman Trophy at (+2500). Its safe to say I’m all in on the bounce-back year for Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers.
