The Clemson Tigers have really struggled to find their footing in 2025. Pegged as a national title contender and ranked as PFF's number one team in the country, the Tigers opened with a loss to LSU after scoring just 10 points, and in Week 2 against Troy, they failed to dispel much of the fear surrounding them.
Contrasted with how the Alabama Crimson Tide responded against an unranked opponent after falling to a good team in Week 1, it's easy to feel concern for Clemson. ESPN's David Hale thinks next week could be a really scary matchup given how lackluster they've looked.
"The Tigers' offense continued to look lost in Week 2 against Troy, falling behind 16-3 in the first half before engineering a strong second-half comeback," Hale said.
The silver lining is that they enjoyed a second-half comeback in which Cade Klubnik completed 8 of 9 passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Adam Randall also carried 15 times for 91 yards, so the backfield isn't in as dire shape as we thought.
"The defense didn't surrender a point," Hale added. "Still, if things look this disjointed against Troy, a road trip to Georgia Tech in Week 3 could be incredibly dangerous." Georgia Tech has looked pretty stout in two victories this year, and Clemson has looked decidedly the opposite in one win and one loss.
If the Tigers don't sort out some of their issues, they could very well be at risk of a huge upset and suffer a major, weighty blow to their College Football Playoff resume.