Expectations for Clemson football are extremely high heading into the 2025 season. After winning the ACC title the previous year and making the College Football Playoff, the Tigers were ranked fourth in the AP poll and were widely predicted to once again lead the league while pursuing a national championship.
This storyline quickly faded away. Clemson has struggled all season, going 7-6 in one of the most difficult years of Dabo Swinney’s tenure. The Tigers suffered another setback at the end of the campaign when they were defeated by Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl.
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Despite the regression, one ESPN analyst believes Clemson will look more like business as usual by 2026.
When discussing which teams have improved the most this season during a recent ESPN roundtable, reporter Heather Dinich pointed to Clemson as the program she expects to make the most progress.
“Clemson can’t lose six more games because of… Dabo Swinney. Can he?” Dinich wrote. “Bringing back former Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris is interesting because he hasn’t coached at Clemson since 2020 and hasn’t coached at Clemson since 2014. However, he is a proven player who helped the Tigers to a 41-11 record during his tenure with first-year starting quarterback Christopher Vizzina. How good it is is a valid question, but when it comes to looking for a team that’s going to take a big leap this fall, it’s hard to believe that Clemson will continue to be a non-factor in ACC play, and with LSU’s road opener, the Tigers will find out how much of a comeback they are early on.”
Statewide, South Carolina was also named one to watch this fall by the ESPN panel. Jake Trotter tagged the Gamecocks as a potential under-the-radar team that could become part of the national conversation later in the season.
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“Last season was a disaster for the Gamecocks, who managed just one SEC win,” Trotter wrote. “But two years ago, South Carolina was the hottest team in college football entering December and nearly made the playoffs. The Gamecocks return two absolute stars in Cyrus and Stewart. With better pass protection on Cyrus — and the Gamecocks hope left tackle transfer Jacarrius Peak (NC State) will be ready after an offseason basketball injury — South Carolina could emerge as a potential postseason contender in December.”
Clemson and South Carolina are scheduled to meet in their annual rivalry game on Nov. 28 at Memorial Stadium.
Before that happens, Clemson will face a big test. The Tigers will begin their 2026 campaign on September 5 when they travel to Baton Rouge to face LSU and new head coach Lane Kiffin.
The ESPN panel was also asked to predict which team that missed the College Football Playoff last year would have a breakout season. Andrea Adelson almost chose LSU before ultimately choosing BYU.
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“I was tempted to say LSU because Lane Kiffin put together one of the best gateway classes in the country, but then I remember Brian Kelly put together one of the best gateway classes in the country last year and that didn’t quite pan out,” Adelson wrote. “I think LSU is going to be a late addition, though.”
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: ESPN’s Clemson football coverage expected to improve in 2026
