Clemson won yet another ACC title last season, but something was missing.
For the second straight year, the Tigers did not reach the College Football Playoff, following a streak of six playoff bids in a row.
The Tigers may be one of college football’s newer superpowers, but after winning national titles in 2016 and 2018, players and fans are starting to wonder when the next championship will come along.
Defensive tackle Tyler Davis — after saying he returned to school to play for one of the best defenses in college football and “go win a natty” — was asked Thursday at ACC Media Days if a championship was required for Clemson to consider 2023 a successful season.
“I would say in my book, yes,” Davis said. “I mean, we come here, that’s one of our goals. We come here to graduate and win a championship and to leave better prepared as a man. I would say yes, to have a successful season, you have to win a championship of some sort.”
Starting quarterback Cade Klubnik then echoed that sentiment when it was his turn at the podium.
“Yeah, the reason I came to Clemson was for two things: It was for the culture and to win a national championship. I believe that we’re going to be able to do that while I’m here,” the sophomore said.
After Alabama defeated Clemson 45-40 in the 2016 CFP national championship game, the Tigers got revenge on the Crimson Tide in 2017 with a 35-31 win behind Deshaun Watson. They tasted glory again two years later when Trevor Lawrence and company beat Alabama 44-16.
Since Lawrence, running back Travis Etienne Jr. and company departed for the NFL, Clemson has remained the team to beat in the ACC but has missed some opportunities. The Tigers went 10-3 with two conference losses in 2021, settling for a win in the Cheez-It Bowl, and they seemed to be in line for a return to the CFP last year before a shock loss to rival South Carolina in the regular-season finale.
Instead, Clemson faced Tennessee in the Orange Bowl and lost, with Klubnik officially taking over starting QB duties from since-transferred D.J. Uiagalelei. The Tigers finished 11-3.
“We’re not going to look down on an 11-3 ACC championship season,” Klubnik said. “There’s a lot of teams that wish they could have that type of year. But at the end of the day, that’s our goal is winning a national championship. Last year was a good year, but we’ve got bigger goals.”
Head coach Dabo Swinney didn’t necessarily want to add fuel to the fire of the Tigers needing another title to re-establish national relevance.
“Listen, people talk about Clemson. We’ve had 12 really, really good years in a row. Some great years in there,” Swinney said. “It’s hard to get to a final four when there’s 133 teams trying to do it. We’ve been there as much as anybody.
“If not going eight years in a row means we stink, well, I guess we stink, but maybe we can get back there this year and be able to say we went seven out of the last nine years. That would be a pretty cool accomplishment.”
