The Clemson Tigers dropped a difficult game in their first-week matchup on the road against the Duke Blue Devils 28-7. Between turnovers and lackluster offense, Duke was able to take advantage and assert their will.
But to make matters worse for the Tigers, their division rival Florida State dominated LSU in their opening matchup of the season in Orlando after spending the offseason dabbling in the transfer portal and in NIL.
Is this the new reality for the Tigers? College Football Gametime discussed whether we are looking at a true transition of power in the ACC and if this is the beginning of the end for Clemson.
Going back to last season, Clemson has lost three of their last four games against FBS opponents: at home to South Carolina, in the Orange Bowl to Tennessee, and again to Duke on Monday night.
"Dabo Swinney has had the exact same comments after all three of those losses," Garrett said about the Clemson coach. "He effectively said that, 'this is not who we are as a football team.' Well, when you've lost three of your last four, maybe it's time to start looking at this like your. reality. This is your new reality. The old reality of Trevor Lawrence and DeShaun Watson and winning national championships, that was the past. We're officially in a new era of Clemson football and I don't think that's good for Dabo Swinney."
Clemson entered the season ranked ninth in the inaugural AP Poll and was a preseason favorite in the ACC. After the stunning upset at the hands of Duke, they plummetted to 25th in the second week's poll.
Now, that's only a poll and the team has just about everything still in front of them. This is a long season and a number of different things could still break their way -- especially on September 23rd when Florida State will make its way to Death Valley. This is especially true since the conference has done away with divisions and the top two teams will play for the conference title.
What didn't make things better was the first-half performance on Saturday against FCS Charleston Southern. The Tigers limped into the locker room with a 24-17 lead before finally turning it on in the second half. Turnovers again plagued the offense (they've had five in two weeks) and it led to many a Clemson fan squirming in their seat.
Between the lackluster play and the head coach's refusal to adapt with the new era of college football, things are not looking good for the program.
"I think you're seeing the beginning of the end," Abe Gordon said. "Not talking about Dabo [Swinney] as a college football head coach, but in terms of them being championship contenders."
Clemson will remain a talented program, and "the Clemson way" will still win them football games. However, if they want to compete with the likes of Georgia, Ohio State, or the other preeminent programs across the country as they had previously, it's past time for the program to evolve.