Is Clemson really that good? Could LSU be much better?

 

Is Clemson really that good? Could LSU be much better?

Clemson is a really good football team this year with some future NFL stars but a lot of the projections for this year and predictions for their opener versus LSU are based on success last year's success. Dabo Swinney teams historically have been title contenders and even National Champions (2016 and 2018). I do not follow Clemson football and admit that I had to look into how they faired in 2024. When I started trying to recall anything about Clemson last year, all I could recall was that Dabo duked it out with a Clemson student in social media after Clemson fans had reached a rare frustration point and started complaining.  I also remember that Clemson beat SMU by 3 points to make it into the playoffs and then played a respectable first round; but, ultimately lost that game by two touchdowns to a solid Texas team. With so little to go on in my evaluation of Clemson's 2024 season, I did a little research that left me asking why are the "experts" expecting Clemson to be so good this year? 

As an LSU fan: I could not help but thinking about LSU's opening losses the last three years and more specifically last year loss. Last year USC (California not Carolina) was  expected to be in the hunt for a playoff spot. Clearly USC came into the season opener believing their hype and maybe LSU players believed the hype about USC as well. As it turns out USC was better than LSU in the opener but would have finished the season 6-6 without the opening win.  Make no mistake perceptions and emotions play a huge roll in college sports. Remember we are talking about players in their teens and twenties.  I think Brian Kelly has realized that this has been a missing element of LSU's strategy the last three years and he has now instituted a 1-0 strategy. The game that we are about to play is the only game. Hopefully it will be "1-0" each and every game before LSU looks back to count to all 1s (wins) and 0s (losses). Eyes forward focused on the task at hand.

When I was considering this first game, LSU vs Clemson, an article penned by Pete Fiutak for College Football News, "Clemson Football Preview 2025: Are the Tigers For Real? Did Dabo Do This Right?" made me sit up and take notice. 

In this article Fiutak noted that as good as Cade Kulbnik was all last season and as interesting as the Clemson/Texas playoff game was, Clemson still lost to Texas by two touchdowns. I have to quote what was written next because this is what has me thinking that Clemson may be receiving more preseason praise than they have earned. In 2024:

"Clemson lost at home to South Carolina. It got run over by Louisville in an 11-point loss in Death Valley. And it all started with a 34-3 uggo of a defeat to Georgia for the third opening week loss in the last four years.

It beat SMU, but that, and a 24-20 win over Pitt - who finished 7-6 - were the only two wins over teams that finished with winning records.”

What?! in 2024 Clemson only beat two teams with a winning record?! In those two games Clemson only beat SMU by 3 points while allowing SMU to score 31 points, pass for over 300 yards, and 3 touchdowns. Clemson only beat Pitt by 4 points. Pitt passed for 350 yards in that game.  To Clemson's credit they did record an interception in both games. But, to emphasis my main point, these are the only two teams that Clemson beat last year that had winning records.  It is not that hard to look really good against teams that cannot win more than half of their games. Most team's openers and early season cream puffs prove this point. 

In summary in 2024 Clemson only beat two teams with winning records, lost 4 games and all 3 of the games that they played against SEC teams (Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas). It is no shame to lose to Georgia and Texas in this day and age but to lose to Georgia by a score of 34-3, and to be bested by Texas by two touchdowns is a different story. And I know that most of you are wondering about how LSU and Clemson played against the only common opponent that both played last year: South Carolina.

In 2024 LSU played South Carolina in Garrett Nussmeier's first game as a started in an opponent's stadium. The stadium was packed and the atmosphere was electric. Both returning starters for 2025, QB Nussmeier passed for 285 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception and RB Caden Durham ran for 98 yards on 11 carries and 2 touchdowns. Aaron Anderson, also a returning starter for 2025, caught 5 receptions for 96 yards. Though there were some close controversial calls in the game, LSU won and managed to score 36 points against a very good South Carolina defense.  South Carolina ended the season by traveling to Clemson and limiting Cade Klubnik and Clemson's offense to 14 points and held Clemson to zero points in the first and fourth quarters. Klubnik did pass for 280 yards but threw no touchdowns and one interception.  Clemson's defense did hold South Carolina's freshman sensation Quarterback to only 164 yards passing and one interception in his first Clemson-South Carolina rivalry game but Sellers managed to run for 166 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16 carries.

Okay LSU only beat South Carolina by 3 points and Clemson only lost to South Carolina by 3 points.  And LSU's Nussmeier is highly unlikely to rush for even 100 yards when LSU travels to face Clemson. Also worth mentioning is that Clemson/South Carolina is a big end of the year in state rivalry. With all of the aforementioned in consideration, LSU still beat a team that Clemson lost to. It is also noteworthy that while Clemson only played 3 SEC teams last year, LSU is in the SEC and plays mostly SEC teams.  Clemson only beat two teams with a winning record last year 12 of the 16 teams in the SEC had a winning record. It begs the question of how Clemson or their NFL caliber players would do in the SEC. If Clemson's players want to be the best, why aren't they playing in the SEC or the Big 10?  

To be fair both Clemson and LSU beat a team that was ranked in the top 10 when they beat that team in 2024. Both Clemson (34-31W over #8SMU) and LSU (29-26W in OT over #9 Ole Miss) only won by 3 points.  

With all that I have been reading and researching about Clemson and LSU it is my very biased opinion that while Clemson is a quality opponent that very well end up in the National Championship at the end of the season, LSU should enter this expecting to win and they should leave with a win: 1-0 Eyes focused on the task at hand!