More Alarms Raised for Dabo Swinney After Clemson Fall Out of Top 10 in College Football Rankings

Dabo Swinney came into 2025 with the weight of the world on his shoulders. The Clemson Tigers opened the year showered in preseason flowers and was ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll with a roster that looked pound-for-pound as loaded as the 2016 and 2018 title squads. But just 2 weeks in, the shine has worn off. Sitting at 1-1 and fresh off a stumble that knocked them out of the Top 10, Swinney’s Tigers are already facing questions about whether the dynasty days are truly behind them.

Clemson entered this season stacked. One of the most complete rosters in college football. From Cade Klubnik, who the media had already stamped as the ACC Preseason Player of the Year, to a defensive front loaded with Peter Woods and T.J. Parker, the Tigers had championship written all over them. Now, the Tigers are chilling at 12th in the latest AP Poll.

David Pollack didn’t sugarcoat it either when he pulled up on the See Ball and Get Ball podcast. Brent Rollins tossed him the question, “What do you think of Clemson’s struggles?” and Pollack fired back like he’d been waiting for that one: “I mean I just—hey, you know what? First game we didn’t run it well. Let’s come out and not try to establish the run consistently. Let’s do that. That sounds like a good idea. Okay, let’s do that. Let’s not run the football. Like second half, they responded really well. I mean, but obviously talent wins out. You’re down 13 at the half. You storm back 24 unanswered. Randall got going. I mean, but they had 17 yards at the half, man.”

Week 2 brought a W against Troy, but don’t let the box score fool you. Clemson was down 16–0 before a weather delay hit. After that? Sure, they flipped the switch with 24 unanswered points, and Adam Randall plus freshman Bryant Wesco Jr. started looking like legit weapons. But being down double digits to Troy at home in Death Valley? That’s not a flex. That’s a red flag.

Week 1 wasn’t any better. Against LSU, Clemson put up only 261 total yards, including an abysmal 31 rushing yards on 20 carries. That’s 1.6 yards a pop. Klubnik looked shook, completing 19 of 38 passes with 0 touchdowns and a QBR sitting at a miserable 31. Third-down conversions? Just 3-of-13. They were wasting an elite defense that actually kept them in the game. LSU only managed 17 points, but when your offense looks like it’s running in quicksand, there’s only so much the defense can cover up.

Pollack’s main point was simple: Clemson got no identity on offense. Losing Antonio Williams, who was Klubnik’s go-to guy with 11 TDs last season, left them scrambling. Wesco is starting to step into that role, but you can’t fake having a true security blanket. Someone who always wins one-on-one and bails you out when things get messy. Without that guy, Clemson looks like they’re throwing darts in the dark.

What’s going on with Clemson Tigers?

Heading into 2025, the hype train around Clemson was insane. National media had them pegged as legit playoff contenders. They got 167 of 183 first-place votes in the preseason ACC media poll. Betting markets? Clemson had the shortest odds to win the conference. Cade Klubnik was paraded as a Heisman top 3. Add in 11 preseason All-ACC picks and multiple All-American nods, and it felt like the Tigers were about to recreate the 2016–2018 golden years.

But reality? Whole different story. Losing to LSU out the gate and then struggling with Troy has flipped the narrative. Instead of “Clemson’s back,” it’s “Clemson’s lost.” The defense still looks like they are of championship caliber. Woods and Parker are monsters up front, but they can’t carry this team alone.

And the schedule isn’t getting easier. With Miami starting to look like the real deal under Mario Cristobal, the Hurricanes might just have a clearer path to the ACC crown than Clemson. If the Tigers don’t fix their run game and get Klubnik some consistent help at receiver, the preseason hype might go down as one of the biggest misreads in years.