Clemson Facing Longest Championship Odds Since 2014

Down In Death Valley

One of college football's most successful programs over the last decade has undoubtedly been the Clemson Tigers, who have won multiple National Championships and had superstar QBs like DeShaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence play for them. Indeed, along with Georgia and Alabama, they have been at the top of the spire and one of the biggest favorites every year to win the title. However, it seems that Clemson has fallen on tough times as of late. They failed to make the CFP last season and didn't even win the ACC, which is a serious downslide from what we have come to expect out of them.

In fact, they will be facing the longest odds for them to win the national title since 2014, when they were 75/1 to open the year. Right now, you can get them as long as 45/1 in the market to take it all home.

Retooling and Reloading

It isn't like Clemson lacks the talent that they once had. It is there, even without utilizing the transfer portal, which head coach Dabo Swinney doesn't believe in. It might come down to how much improvement we see from QB Cade Klubnik, which despite being likely the worst signal-caller that the Tigers have had in over a decade, at least showed some improvement last year. This will be his third season, and overall, he has generated close to double the amount of turnover-worthy plays vs. big-time throws. However, he made a significant improvement in that department in 2023, dropping his turnover-worthy play rate from 3.9% to 3.5%.

However, I am more excited about the strong offensive line that Clemson will employ, and what they can do to open up rushing lanes for RB Phil Mafah. He got to showcase some of his ability last season behind Will Shipley, but now that Shipley is gone, he will be the lead back. He was incredible last year, posting 3.7 yards after contact and forcing 40 missed tackles. I would expect the offense to run through him, and if Klubnik can keep improving, this offense can be deadly.

The defense has a lot of talent as well and has remained a steady unit even after the departure of Brent Venables. LB Barrett Carter and CB Avieon Terrell are expected to be two of the best at their position in football in 2024. The defensive line will employ some of the highest-ranked recruits in the nation in Peter Woods, DeMonte Capehart, and Payton Page.

Best Bet

Clemson To Win ACC (+390, MGM)

They open the season with a very tough game against Georgia, but after that, they have just a single game that I would say they will be an underdog. Going to Florida State on Oct. 5 will be a tough challenge, but even then, I would expect Clemson to be only a very small underdog. They will get NC State at home and off a bye week, and road trips to Wake Forest and Pitt should be blowouts. South Carolina has sneaky good upside this season, and I like them a lot, but I think the Tigers are the superior squad. They also avoid Miami and SMU completely.

I expect Clemson to be right there at the top of the ACC and compete for a conference title once again in 2024-25.